Using Interactive Voice Response to Measure Pain and Quality of Life

Abstract

Objectives. To describe the feasibility of using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to collect daily, prospective data about pain and quality of life in a randomized clinical trial of transdermal fentanyl (TDF). Design. This article focuses on the use of IVR technology within a larger study that compared the relative efficacy of TDF to short-acting opioids for treating chronic noncancer pain. IVR allows individuals to call into a telephone system to answer questions using the telephone keypad. Participants. Forty-six participants consented to be in the study and made at least one IVR phone call. Thirty-one participants completed the study. All participants were veterans from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, and all reported chronic pain that had previously been treated with short-acting oral opioids. Outcome Measures. Participant adherence with calling into the IVR system was assessed via frequency counts of the number of calls placed vs the number of expected calls. Participants provided data about average pain, pain interference, medication adherence and side effects, satisfaction with pain control, and sleep quality. Results. Participants who completed the study made 84.6% of the 1302 expected calls into the IVR system, and an additional 4% of missed calls were obtained through follow-up. Proportion of completed calls declined slightly across the three call-in intervals, but remained high (from 87.5% to 81.3%). Conclusions. These data suggest that IVR is an effective way to collect prospective treatment data. Detailed discussion of additional benefits and potential drawbacks to the use of IVR technology is provided.