Newsbits


Elderly Patients Embrace Touch-Screen Technology for Health Outcomes


07:59 a.m. Oct 20, 1998 Eastern

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BW HealthWire)--Oct. 20, 1998--A recent study conducted by Health America revealed that 73 percent of the elderly population surveyed provided positive feedback after using touch-screen technology to answer health outcomes questions.

"In our Heart Disease Program at Health America, over 400 elderly patients used Assist Technologies' software and 73 percent reported they 'liked it very much,' and 'liked using a computer.' We feel it is a fantastic way to collect, enter and analyze data for large health-outcomes trials," stated Kjel A. Johnson, Pharm.D., Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Health America Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh, School of Pharmacy.

Touch Outcomes Collector(TM) software, developed by Phoenix-based Assist Technologies, displays one question per screen in large, easy-to-read text. Patients respond to health outcomes questions by touching the screen. The computer then analyzes the patients responses and provides reports showing trends in outcomes for both individual patients and for patient populations.

"The elderly population can easily navigate the large onscreen selection buttons, more so than a detailed paper questionnaire or a keyboard," confirmed Joy Hebert, co-founder of Assist Technologies. "Even patients who have never used a computer find the touch-screen interface simple to use."

Touch Outcomes Collector runs on a variety of Windows-based hardware such as laptops, pen pads, Internet access devices and kiosks. The outcomes data collected from such surveys is used for disease management programs, drug therapies and medical products.

The benefits of touch-screen technology go beyond ease-of-use. "With such a user-friendly interface, our clients report a dramatic improvement in the overall quality of their projects," Hebert added.

Because patients enter survey answers directly into the computer, errors occurring from staff data entry are eliminated and outcomes reports are available as soon as the patient completes the report. There is no need for manual survey checking, costly survey revisions, manual scoring and data entry.

Based in Scottsdale, Assist Technologies is the leading innovator of software and services for patient-reported outcomes. The company has successfully participated in more than 60 research projects worldwide and is often recommended by many industry experts and leading healthcare researchers.

Replacing traditional paper and pencil methods, Assist offers Windows-based software allowing patients to respond to surveys via touch-screen technology. The company also offers a complete turnkey solution including: research/site team training, electronic uploads, data consolidation and quality assurance.

Touch Outcomes Collector is a trademark of Assist Technologies Inc.


Copyright 1998, Business Wire

Newsbit furnished by:


A: NetShift Software Ltd.
A: Hughenden Yard, Marlborough, Wilts,SN8 1LT, UK
T: +44 (0)1672 511 094
F: +44 (0)1672 511 078
E: [email protected]
W: www.netshift.com

Thanks Anna!


Thanks Kinetic!

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