M Middeke1, A Bauhofer, I Kopp, M Koller. 1. Marburg Interdisciplinary Tumour Centre, Philipps-University Marburg, Baldingerstrasse, 35033, Marburg, Germany. Middeke@med.uni-marburg.de
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly considered as an important endpoint in clinical studies but difficult to use in clinical practice. For daily clinical practice, we developed a computer program that is able to calculate and draw QoL profiles for individual cancer patients. METHODS: The computer program was developed in several steps during the course of studies with different patient populations (prospective cohort study, randomised surgical trial, breast cancer patients, all tumour patients of a clinic) and using different software packages. RESULTS: The current version is based on Microsoft ACCESS and combines QoL data and medical data. Automated QoL profile output comprises 10 scores that are of clinical relevance. Scores range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best), with 50 considered as the threshold for intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners found QoL-profiles comprehensible and clinically useful. QoL profiles are the crucial link between the QoL concept and QoL enhancing treatment decisions. Copyright 2004 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel
OBJECTIVE: Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly considered as an important endpoint in clinical studies but difficult to use in clinical practice. For daily clinical practice, we developed a computer program that is able to calculate and draw QoL profiles for individual cancerpatients. METHODS: The computer program was developed in several steps during the course of studies with different patient populations (prospective cohort study, randomised surgical trial, breast cancerpatients, all tumourpatients of a clinic) and using different software packages. RESULTS: The current version is based on Microsoft ACCESS and combines QoL data and medical data. Automated QoL profile output comprises 10 scores that are of clinical relevance. Scores range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best), with 50 considered as the threshold for intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners found QoL-profiles comprehensible and clinically useful. QoL profiles are the crucial link between the QoL concept and QoL enhancing treatment decisions. Copyright 2004 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel
Authors: M Klinkhammer-Schalke; M Koller; C Ehret; B Steinger; B Ernst; J C Wyatt; F Hofstädter; W Lorenz Journal: Br J Cancer Date: 2008-08-05 Impact factor: 7.640