PND118 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN DISORDERS: PREFERENCE OF EPRO SCREEN DISPLAY AND FEATURES

Abstract

Electronic patient reported outcomes (ePROs) are often primary endpoints in clinical trials for pain treatment. While ePRO has many advantages, patient preference and usability of the technology are important to help reduce patient burden and improve patient engagement. This study investigates patient’s preference of how ePRO content are displayed on a digital screen and features. Participants (N=551), who reported a chronic pain diagnosis (e.g., migraines, fibromyalgia, arthritis), completed an online survey with screenshots of ePRO screens and about their preference of font size, number of items to complete on a screen, and orientation of a pain visual analog scale (VAS). Participants familiar with screen magnification features indicated how they preferred to resolve issues of font size that were too small to read. Majority of participants (77.4%) preferred 16-point font text over 14-point font (16.8%) but 5.8% thought that neither font size were big enough. For the number of items displayed on a screen, 45.1% preferred more than one item if the items were related, 24.8% would answer many items on one screen if there were less screens to go through, and 30.1% wanted only one item per screen. With the VAS, most participants preferred the scale to be displayed in a horizontal (60.4%) versus vertical orientation (11.2%). 28.4% had no preference. 77.3% stated familiarity with accessibility features, including screen magnification, on electronic devices. Of those participants, 58.4% preferred larger font text and to scroll down the screen, if needed, rather than magnification. However, 41.6% preferred not to scroll but rather use the device's magnification feature to zoom in. Understanding patient with chronic pain disorders preference of ePRO features and how content are displayed on screen is important to designing ePRO instruments that are easier to use. This may reduce patient burden and lead to increased patient engagement in clinical trials.