On-demand or prophylactic home-treatment is currently the treatment of choice 
for haemophilia patients. To allow physicians to monitor the amount of factor 
concentrates administered, the patients document each factor injection in a 
paper-diary. Nevertheless, because of the fact that most patients visit their 
physicians only two to four times a year, there could be considerable delay in 
detecting medication problems. The aim of this pilot study was to assess whether 
an electronic documentation tool could successfully replace traditional 
paper-diaries for haemophilia A patients and enable the physician to have a 
timely overview of the patient's treatment. An electronic, hand-held 
documentation tool, Haemoassist, was developed. In this study, patients using 
prophylaxis and on-demand therapies documented their factor consumption both 
electronically and on paper-diaries. Documentations were compared and 
descriptively evaluated. Patients also completed a survey to evaluate the 
feasibility and gather their opinions on the Haemoassist system. Ten patients 
from two haemophilia treatment centres in Germany submitted a total of 548 
records via hand-held device during the observation period, from March 2006 to 
February 2007. Comparison of electronic and paper-based records showed differing 
responses among patients with some patients entering more electronic and some 
others more paper-based documentations. In the questionnaires on feasibility and 
usefulness of Haemoassist, three patients preferred the electronic tool, two 
patients wanted to continue using paper-based diaries, and one had no 
preference. The study shows that an electronic documentation system is feasible 
for haemophilia patients and provides the physician with the opportunity to more 
closely monitor patients. However, not all patients seem to be qualified for 
using an electronic tool, and the tool has to run reliably without major errors 
for ensuring reliability and acceptability. In the future, Haemoassist might 
support quality assurance in haemophilia treatment and improve guidance in the 
home-care setting.