In an increasingly digitized world, innovation in healthcare becomes essential to offer children with serious conditions a better chance at a healthy and happy life. In this context, the Dara platform represents a revolution in the care of children with cancer and, in the future, for children with other serious illnesses in Romania.
Among the most important innovations of the platform is the integration of quality of life scales. The Dara platform succeeds in transforming the way these children are cared for, placing emphasis on assessing the quality of life and functional status of patients through tools such as the PEDS QL questionnaires and the Lansky-Karnofsky Scale.
What are PEDS QL questionnaires?
PEDS QL is an acronym for Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, a set of questionnaires developed to assess the quality of life of children aged 2 to 18. These questionnaires are designed to assess the impact of physical and mental health on the daily lives of children and adolescents.
How do they work?
PEDS QL questionnaires contain questions that cover various areas of children’s lives, including physical health, daily activities, relationships with friends and family, emotional state, and behavior. These questions are designed to measure both children’s perception of their health and their overall lives, as well as the perception of parents or caregivers.
Benefits of using PEDS QL questionnaires:
- Objective Evaluation: These questionnaires provide an objective and standardized method of assessing the quality of life of children, allowing for consistent result comparisons.
- Gives Voice to Children: PEDS QL allows children to express their own experiences and perceptions regarding their health and quality of life, essential for understanding their needs.
- Supports Decision-Making: Data collected with these questionnaires can help parents, doctors, and healthcare decision-makers make informed decisions regarding the care and treatment of children.
The integration of PEDS QL questionnaires into the digital record of children with cancer within the Dara platform brings the invaluable benefit of constant and objective evaluation of the quality of life of children. This provides essential information to the medical team for customizing treatments and care, aiming to ensure a better and more comfortable life for each little warrior against cancer.
What is the Lansky-Karnofsky Scale?
The Lansky-Karnofsky Scale is an assessment scale of the functional status of patients, used especially in oncology and in the care of patients with chronic conditions. It allows the evaluation of the patient’s level of functioning and autonomy, providing a numerical score that reflects their overall health status.
How does it work?
The Lansky-Karnofsky Scale consists of a series of descriptions and numerical scores, ranging from 0 (the most severe health condition) to 100 (the best possible health condition). Medical staff or caregivers complete the scale based on their observations of the patient’s ability to perform daily activities, such as personal care, mobility, and participation in social activities.
Benefits of using the Lansky-Karnofsky Scale:
- Objectivity: The scale provides an objective method of assessing the functional status of patients, aiding evidence-based decision-making.
- Progress Monitoring: The scale can be used to monitor the progress of patients throughout treatment and identify significant changes in their health status.
- Customization of Care: Evaluation with the Lansky-Karnofsky scale can contribute to customizing care for each individual patient, ensuring that treatment is adapted to individual needs and capacities.
The integration of the Lansky-Karnofsky Scale into the digitized record of children with cancer through the Dara platform is an important step in the evaluation and management of the functional status of these children. This integration ensures a systematic measurement of their ability to cope with daily activities, providing medical teams with essential data for adapting treatments and care so that each child benefits from a personalized plan for recovery and support.