What are PROMs and why would I implement them into my practice?

What are PROMs? 

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) are scientifically validated questionnaires completed by individuals that measure what matters to patients - their quality of life, feelings, daily functioning, and the impact of their symptoms. PROMs gather, measure and provide feedback to the practitioner about treatment efficacy from a patient-centred perspective. 

Scientific researchers and medical professionals developed PROMs to help identify and assess the subjective experience of individual patients in clinical trials. Recognising its value, the broader medical community has widely adopted PROMs to assist clinical care decisions, evaluate healthcare objectives, and provide valuable information which may be used in the decision-making process. 

Why use PROMs? 

At the patient-clinic level, PROMs provide direct patient reporting using standardised, scientifically validated questionnaires to measure and quantify their personal experiences. PROMs allows patients the opportunity to engage with their clinician in planning their own healthcare, which tends to lead to better quality care. 

PROMs enable clinicians, practitioners, and other healthcare professionals the means to assess and track a patient's experience over time, collecting data and information that would be used to provide better overall health outcomes at both the individual and the group level. 

PROMs gather data from various patients to help inform practice or group management decisions. This can lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness for the medical service provider as the feedback helps practitioners assess whether a health service is working to improve patient outcomes or whether a change is needed.

Using PROMs has been proven to result in:

• Better quality care for the patient
• Better health outcomes
• Lower overall costs for the practitioner