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Acceptability of a Touch Screen Tablet Psychosocial Survey Administered to Radiation Therapy Patients in Japan

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Abstract

Background

Studies in western clinical settings suggest that touch screen computer surveys are an acceptable mode of collecting information about cancer patients’ wellbeing

Purpose

We examined the acceptability of a touch screen tablet survey among cancer patients in Japan.

Methods

Eligible patients (n = 262) attending a university hospital radiation therapy (RT) department were invited to complete a touch screen tablet survey about psychosocial communication and care. Survey consent and completion rates, the proportion and characteristics of patients who completed the touch screen survey unassisted, and patient-reported acceptability were assessed.

Results

Of 158 consenting patients (consent rate 60 % [95 % CI 54, 66 %] of eligible patients), 152 completed the touch screen computer survey (completion rate 58 % [95 % CI 52, 64 %] of eligible patients). The survey was completed without assistance by 74 % (n = 113; 95 % CI 67, 81 %) of respondents. Older age was associated with higher odds of having assistance with survey completion (OR 1.09; 95 % CI 1.04, 1.14 %). Ninety-two percent of patients (95 % CI 86, 96 %) felt that the touch screen survey was easy to use and 95 % (95 % CI 90, 98 %) agreed or strongly agreed that they were comfortable answering the questions. Overall, 65 % (95 % CI 57, 73 %) of respondents would be willing to complete such a survey more than once while waiting for RT treatment.

Conclusions

Although patient self-reported acceptability of the touch screen survey was high, self-administered touch screen tablet surveys may not be entirely appropriate for older cancer patients or possibly for patients with lower educational attainment.

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Acknowledgments

The data presented in this manuscript were presented in part at the IPOS 14th World Congress of Psycho-Oncology. The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Masakazu Ogura, Prof. Masahiro Hiraoka, and Ms. Ayako Fujii for their support and assistance with project management and patient recruitment. We would also like to thank the radiation oncology department patients and staff for participating in this research study. This research was funded by Dr. Lisa Mackenzie’s Endeavour Scholarship, and Lisa is currently supported by a HMRI Early Career Support Grant.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Informed Consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Breast Surgery, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, Japan

    Eiji Suzuki & Masakazu Toi

  2. Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, W4, Hunter Medical Research Institute Building, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    Lisa Mackenzie, Robert Sanson-Fisher & Mariko Carey

  3. Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia

    Lisa Mackenzie, Robert Sanson-Fisher & Mariko Carey

  4. National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Newcastle, Australia

    Catherine D’Este

  5. Department of Nursing, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, Japan

    Hiromi Asada

Authors
  1. Eiji Suzuki
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  2. Lisa Mackenzie
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  3. Robert Sanson-Fisher
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  4. Mariko Carey
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  5. Catherine D’Este
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  6. Hiromi Asada
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  7. Masakazu Toi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa Mackenzie.

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Suzuki, E., Mackenzie, L., Sanson-Fisher, R. et al. Acceptability of a Touch Screen Tablet Psychosocial Survey Administered to Radiation Therapy Patients in Japan. Int.J. Behav. Med. 23, 485–491 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-015-9502-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-015-9502-2

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