Are touchscreen computer surveys acceptable to medical oncology patients?

The acceptability of a touchscreen computer survey to assess levels of physical side effects, anxiety, depression, and perceived needs among 229 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and hormone therapy was assessed. Despite the fact that approximately 60% of the patients had no previous experience with computers, the survey was highly acceptable to them. In addition, 96% of the patients were happy for their oncologist to receive a summary of their results, and 89% said they would be happy to complete such a survey during each visit to the hospital. Therefore, the results indicated that touchscreen computers are an acceptable and efficient method of assessing the levels of physical side effects, anxiety, depression, and perceived needs experienced by these patients. The use of such routine patient surveys has the potential to improve the breadth and quality of care provided to patients by oncologists.