A knowledge management system to study the quality of life in head and neck oncology patients

Stud Health Technol Inform. 2011:165:31-6.

Abstract

The perception that an individual holds about his place in life, which depends upon his culture and values, defines this individual's Quality of Life (QoL). When applied in a health context this known as: Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). The assessment of HRQoL is a Medical goal; it is used in clinical research, medical practice, health-related economic studies and in planning health management measures and strategies. Obtaining a patient self-assessment with QoL measuring instruments on the platform developed in this project, through user-friendly software, aids the study, promotes the creation of databases, and accelerates its statistical treatment. The possibility of graphically representing results that physician needs to analyze, immediately after the answer collection, makes this assessment a diagnosis instrument ready to be used routinely in clinical practice. Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) applied to this context enable knowledge creation and storage, and guide therapeutic decisions.

MeSH terms

  • Head and Neck Neoplasms*
  • Humans
  • Knowledge Management*
  • Patients / psychology*
  • Quality of Life*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • User-Computer Interface