The impact of individual quality of life assessment on psychosocial attention in patients with chest malignancies: a randomized study

Purpose The aims of this study were to investigate the impact of individual health-related quality of life (HRQL) evaluation on the attention towards symptom control and psychosocial function in advanced cancer patients. Methods Patients with advanced lung cancer or mesothelioma who attended a pulmonary oncology outpatient clinic were randomized to either of two strategies for HRQL assessment. The experimental group (EG) answered the EORTC QLQ-C30 + LC13 questionnaire using a digital table interface, with outprint of aggregated scale scores presented to the consulting physician as a support for evaluation. The control group (CG) answered a paper version of the same questionnaire, which was stored for later analysis. Consultations were audio-recorded. Outcome measures were a quantitative content analysis of audio-recorded consultations and medical and psychosocial interventions abstracted from clinical records. Results One hundred seventy-one patients were randomized and participated in the study. Issues regarding emotional function were more frequently discussed during consultations in the EG ( p < 0.05). Similarly, interventions directed to emotional and social concerns were more frequent in the EG ( p = 0.013 and p = 0.0036, respectively). HRQL measures over time were similar across the groups. Conclusion Individual HRQL assessment increased the attention to psychosocial functioning in patients with chest malignancies.