(114) The Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA): Using Interactive Technology to Detect Pain and Functional Limitations in Head and Neck Cancer

Abstract

Patients with head and neck cancer can experience pain that impacts quality of life. Therefore, we developed a patient-reported Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA) for early detection and intervention for pain. Patients use interactive touch screen technology to indicate presence and location of pain and functional limitations (eg. limited mobility of mouth, neck, shoulders). To test clinical usefulness of the ePVA, after informed consent, 72 participants with head and neck cancer completed the ePVA one time before, during, or after treatment at an academic cancer center in northeastern United States between August 2017 and August 2018. After completing the ePVA, participants answered the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Quality of Life (QoL) scores were calculated using EORTC QLQ-C30 QoL subscale, ranging between 0 - 100, higher scores indicating better quality of life. Data were analyzed using means, frequencies, and t-test statistics. The mean age of the study population was 62. Majority of participants were male (64%), had stage III or IV cancer (69%), and were of the white race (68%). Majority of participants reported presence of pain (54%, 39 of 72), which significantly affected their QoL (Pain: mean QoL = 68.1; No pain: mean QoL= 83.3, p<0.001). Participants who reported the lowest QoL were those with both pain and functional limitations (mean QoL = 60.4, n = 12, p<0.001 when compared to the QoL= 83.3, n=26, among those without pain or limitations). These analyses suggest that the ePVA may be a clinically useful method of pain assessment. Funding acknowledgement: NYU Research Challenge Fund Program, Hartford Change AGEnts Initiative (supported by a grant to the Gerontological Society of America from the John A. Hartford Foundation), The Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (U24NR014637). Patients with head and neck cancer can experience pain that impacts quality of life. Therefore, we developed a patient-reported Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA) for early detection and intervention for pain. Patients use interactive touch screen technology to indicate presence and location of pain and functional limitations (eg. limited mobility of mouth, neck, shoulders). To test clinical usefulness of the ePVA, after informed consent, 72 participants with head and neck cancer completed the ePVA one time before, during, or after treatment at an academic cancer center in northeastern United States between August 2017 and August 2018. After completing the ePVA, participants answered the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Quality of Life (QoL) scores were calculated using EORTC QLQ-C30 QoL subscale, ranging between 0 - 100, higher scores indicating better quality of life. Data were analyzed using means, frequencies, and t-test statistics. The mean age of the study population was 62. Majority of participants were male (64%), had stage III or IV cancer (69%), and were of the white race (68%). Majority of participants reported presence of pain (54%, 39 of 72), which significantly affected their QoL (Pain: mean QoL = 68.1; No pain: mean QoL= 83.3, p<0.001). Participants who reported the lowest QoL were those with both pain and functional limitations (mean QoL = 60.4, n = 12, p<0.001 when compared to the QoL= 83.3, n=26, among those without pain or limitations). These analyses suggest that the ePVA may be a clinically useful method of pain assessment. Funding acknowledgement: NYU Research Challenge Fund Program, Hartford Change AGEnts Initiative (supported by a grant to the Gerontological Society of America from the John A. Hartford Foundation), The Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (U24NR014637).