Patient diary explained

A patient diary is a tool used during a clinical trial or a disease treatment to assess the patient's condition (e.g. symptom severity, quality of life) or to measure treatment compliance. An electronic patient diary registers the data in a storage device and allows for automatically monitoring the time the entry was made.

Frequent recording of symptoms using a diary helps to reduce recall bias. Electronic diaries ensure entries are made as scheduled, and not, for example, in a batch immediately before the clinic visit.

Patient diaries are also way to find out if a patient takes the medication according to the treatment schedule, which is an important problem during clinical trials and the treatment of degenerative diseases with relatively few symptoms.

See also

• Case report form
• Electronic patient reported outcomes (ePRO)
• Patient-reported outcome

References

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• Tiplady B, Crompton GK, Brackenridge D. Electronic diaries for asthma, British Medical Journal, 1995; 310: 1469
• van Berge Henegouwen MT, van Driel HF, Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite DG., A patient diary as a tool to improve medicine compliance, Pharm World Sci. 1999 Feb;21(1):21-4.
• van Gerven JM, Schoemaker RC, Jacobs LD, Reints A, Ouwersloot-van der Meij MJ, Hoedemaker HG, Cohen AF., Self-medication of a single headache episode with ketoprofen, ibuprofen or placebo, home-monitored with an electronic patient diary, Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1996 Oct;42(4):475-81.