The Electronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire (ePAQ) is an interactive, web-based symptom and quality of life assessment system created at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals trust. It is being used in urogynaecology pelvic floor medicine, offering comprehensive patient self assessment of urinary, bowel, vaginal and sexual symptoms in the privacy of patients’ own homes.
It is now routinely offered to women referred to the service before their consultation. The password secured information is used to generate a report providing scores in 19 clinical domains, including stress incontinence and sexual problems, to aid clinical interventions, including physiotherapy.
Intimate issues
Its creator Stephen Radley, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the trust, said: ‘The system substantially changes the way care is delivered by enhancing communication and understanding of intimate issues. ePAQ provides us with tremendous insight into patients’ conditions.’
CSP professional advisor Ruth ten Hove said the system could be a ‘really useful’ adjunct to physiotherapists when making initial assessments as it highlights areas of particular concern for patients that would allow physiotherapists to target interventions most effectively.
Accurate picture
‘Sometimes in a clinical setting it is difficult for patients to answer questions which may be personal and embarrassing. For patients, being able to complete the questionnaire in the privacy of their own home, means that clinicians can gain a really accurate picture of patients’ symptoms and how they affect their quality of life. It also engages them in their own care in a more informed way.’
She added that the ePAC development complimented the CSP’s self-referral pilot which is aiming to improve access to women’s health physiotherapy services in seven NHS sites.
Specialist physio
Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Women's Health (ACPWH) chair Ruth Hawkes said: 'In principle this sounds an innovative idea and provides another way in which women can access information about pelvic floor problems.
'It hopefully empowers the woman to take the initial step in dealing with her problem on her own. It is important however to realise that some women will require specialist physiotherapy and there must be a clear and accessible pathway for this support through the assessment tool.'
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