Assessment of Quality of Life by Patients in Pain

描述（由研究者提供）：在美国，未经治疗的中度至重度疼痛的患病率可能高达25%。为了衡量治疗的有效性，患者感知的结果测量在医院和健康环境中变得越来越重要。量表是目前唯一用于从患者角度评估生活质量（QOL）的工具。本II期申请的目的是进一步开发一种计算机化的判断方法，而不是基于问卷格式，使卫生专业人员能够快速确定进入医院或诊所接受治疗的患者的感知QOL。患者使用数字视觉模拟量表（NVAS），并调整计算机屏幕上的条的长度，以表明对总体QOL和20个变量中的每一个的QOL的满意或不满意。该方法被称为“交互式计算机生活质量评估方法”（ICQOL）。用户主动地创建简档，该简档表示诸如健康状态、能量水平和家庭生活之类的变量的正或负显著性。在第一年，该方法将在一组被诊断患有不同类型疼痛的文化多样性患者中进行测试。西班牙语版本也将进行测试。将结果与相同患者的绝对疼痛强度评级沿着NVAS进行比较。在第2年，将该方法与常用的SF-36问卷进行比较，以确定两种方法的QOL评分在硬膜外类固醇注射前后沿着NVAS测量的疼痛缓解情况。这一新的评估方法的主要优点是：（a）可以获得定量的区间尺度，（B）在其他项目的背景下对项目进行评级，（c）可以对评级进行动态调整，（d）数据收集和分析效率高，费用低。建议的商业应用。商业目标是用计算机管理的方法取代纸笔调查，这种方法允许在其他变量的背景下对QOL变量进行动态评级。该软件将可用于两个主要的计算机平台（视窗和麦金塔）。在第三阶段销售时，世界各地的医生、疼痛诊所和医院将购买计算机软件包。

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): The prevalence of untreated moderate to severe pain may be as high as 25% in the United States. In order to measure the effectiveness of treatment, outcome measures of patient perceptions have become increasingly important in hospital and health settings. Questionnaires are the only instruments presently used to assess Quality of Life (QOL) from the standpoint of the patient. The objective of this Phase II application is to further develop a computerized judgment method, not based on a questionnaire format, allowing health professionals to quickly determine perceived QOL of patients entering a hospital or clinic for treatment. Patients use numerical visual analogue scales (NVAS) and adjust the length of bars on the computer screen to indicate satisfaction or dissatisfaction with overall QOL and with QOL for each of 20 variables. The approach is referred to as the "Interactive Computer method for rating Quality of Life" (ICQOL). The user actively creates a profile representing the positive or negative salience of variables such as health status, energy level, and home life. In Year 1 the method will be tested with a culturally diverse group of patients diagnosed with different types of pain. A Spanish version will also be tested. Results will be compared with the same patients' ratings of absolute pain intensity along a NVAS. In Year 2 the method will be compared with the commonly used SF-36 questionnaire to determine how well scores of QOL from both methods track relief from pain, as measured along a NVAS, before and after epidural steroid injection. The main advantages of this new assessment method are (a) quantitative interval scale measures are obtained, (b) ratings of items are given in the context of other items, (c) dynamic adjustments in ratings are possible, and (d) data collection and analysis is efficient and inexpensive. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION. The commercial goal is to replace paper-and-pencil surveys with a computer-administered method that allows dynamic ratings of QOL variables considered in the context of other variables. The software will be available for the two major computer platforms (Windows & Macintosh). As marketed in Phase III, physicians, pain clinics and hospitals throughout the world will purchase the computer software package.