Voices that matter: The impact of patient-reported outcome measures on clinical decision-making

Table 1 Overview of commonly used patient-reported outcome measures in various health conditions

Disease category	PROMs Name	Focus of PROMs	Description and use case
Mental health	Beck depression inventory	Symptoms	Used to measure the severity of depression. Commonly used in both clinical settings and research to monitor treatment effects
Respiratory conditions	Asthma symptom utility index	Symptoms	Assesses the frequency and severity of asthma symptoms, guiding treatment adjustments
Chronic conditions	Health assessment questionnaire	Functionality	Evaluates functional ability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, influencing therapy and patient management
General well-being	The 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey	Quality of life	Broad assessment of patient quality of life across physical and mental health domains, used widely in various chronic conditions
Cardiovascular	Stroke impact scale	Functionality and symptoms	Measures the impact of stroke on physical and emotional aspects, aiding in recovery management
Oncology	European organisation for research and treatment of cancer quality of life questionnaire-core 30	Quality of life and symptoms	Commonly used in clinical trials for cancer to assess the quality of life and symptom burden during treatments

PROMs: Patient-reported outcome measures.

Table 2 Benefits and challenges of implementing patient-reported outcome measures

Benefits	Description	Challenges	Description
Enhanced patient-centered care	PROMs empower patients, leading to tailored treatments and higher engagement, which are critical for effective care	Data collection and management	Managing large volumes of patient data securely and efficiently poses significant logistical challenges
Improved clinical outcomes	Real-time data from PROMs facilitate timely adjustments in treatment, improving health outcomes	Integration into clinical practice	Modifying existing systems and workflows to include PROMs can be costly and time-consuming
Increased patient safety	Early detection of adverse effects or complications through PROMs enhances patient safety	Patient and provider acceptance	Skepticism about the accuracy and utility of PROMs may hinder their adoption by clinicians
Supporting research and policy	PROMs data enrich health services research and inform policy-making, leading to improved care standards	Training needs	Adequate training is required for healthcare providers to effectively interpret and use PROMs data

PROMs: Patient-reported outcome measures.