The use of the computerized version of quality of life and health status questionnaires in a community sample in southern Brazil.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Computerized data collection is an efficient process and well accepted by patients with different disorders. Although computer-based systems have been used to assess health status and quality of life in various areas of healthcare, there is a lack of studies to investigate the effectiveness of these instruments in Brazil. The aims here were to assess the usability of the Portuguese-language versions of the Personal Health Scale (PHS) and the Multicultural Quality of Life Index (MQLI) in southern Brazil and to determine the correlation between these two questionnaires. DESIGN AND SETTING This was a cross-sectional community-based survey in which participants completed computerized versions of these two questionnaires. METHODS In a survey conducted in 16 different locations, 458 volunteers completed both questionnaires. Pearson correlation coefficients were generated between the scores of the two questionnaires. The inclusion criteria allowed all volunteers who were able to understand the questions in both questionnaires to participate in the study. RESULTS The percentage of proper data collection via the computerized versions of the two questionnaires combined was 97.45%. A significant correlation (P < 0.01) between the PHS and the MQLI was observed. CONCLUSION The computerized versions of the PHS and MQLI demonstrated efficient data collection patterns during the field survey trials. Health-related issues were significantly correlated with the overall experience of wellbeing and quality of life. The computerized versions of the PHS and MQLI are valid tools for research and clinical use in Brazil.