Abstract
Handheld devices with touchscreen controls have become widespread in the general population. In this study, we examined the duration estimates (explicit timing) made by patients in a major general hospital and healthy control subjects using a custom iPad application. We methodically assessed duration estimates using this novel device. We found that both psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients significantly overestimated time periods compared with healthy control subjects, who estimated elapsed time very precisely. The use of touchscreen-based methodologies can provide valuable information about patients.
Highlights
Mobile computing has become very popular in recent years
Practicality and attendance One advantage of the use of handheld devices as measuring instruments is their usability for subjects and experimenters
The intuitive operation and the appealing appearance of the iPad may have been advantageous in the present study, especially because refusals to participate were fairly rare (20% of psychiatric patients and 9% of healthy controls)
Summary
Tablets and especially smartphones, are commonly used by the general population and as instruments for data collection used in clinical and academic settings [1], and their validity and practicality have been demonstrated in a wide range of settings and for a variety of users [2,3]. Haller et al (2009) conclude that researchers could overcome these methodological difficulties by using tablet PCs, which combine the advantages of laptops and PDAs. To date, no studies have evaluated touchscreen tablet PCs for psychiatric testing. The aim of the present study was to exemplary demonstrate data collection using a touchscreen tablet for psychiatric patients performing a repeated task in a clinical trial. We introduce a new application on a touchscreen handheld device as a tool for time estimation tasks
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