Symptoms, Quality of Life, and Daily Activities in People With Newly Diagnosed Solid Tumors Presenting to a Medical Oncologist.

Introduction:Symptom and Quality of Life (QOL) data are important patient reported outcomes. Early identification of these is critical for appropriate interventions. Data collection may be helped by modern information technology.Aim:This study examined symptoms and QOL in people with solid tumors at their first visit to a medical oncologist. We also evaluated the clinical utility of tablet computers (TC) to collect this data.Methods:This was a prospective study of 105 consecutive patients in the cancer outpatient clinic of a tertiary level academic medical center. Symptom and QOL data was collected by TC with wireless database upload.Results:One-third participants had moderate to severe pain; almost half clinically significant pain that interfered with daily activities. Tiredness, anxiety, and drowsiness were common (prevalence - 79%, 63% and 50% respectively). One-third of those who had items identified from the Edmonton System Assessment System also volunteered other symptoms, mostly gastrointestinal pr...