Implementing PROMs and PREMs in Routine Clinical Care: Assessment of Requirements and Impact

Implementing PROMs and PREMs in Routine Clinical Care: Assessment of Requirements and Impact.

There has been increasing interest in the use of patient-reported outcomes and experience measures (PROMs and PREMs) in clinical practice; yet few empirical studies have been conducted to evaluate the usefulness of such implementation.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the implementation of PROMs and PREMs in routine clinical care for improving health outcomes and satisfaction with health management.

Design: Randomized control trial. Setting: In and outpatient departments of a public hospital in Spain.

Participants: 1,440 adult patients managed for breast cancer, prostate cancer, chronic kidney disease, or bariatric surgery.

Intervention: Patients will monthly complete, through an App from their smartphones, PROMs and PREMs (arm A, n=480), or only PREMs (arm B, n=480). Responses to PROMs will be transformed into a graphic summary, accessible for physicians and patients at the follow-up visits of the project (9 and 18 months after recruitment).

Main outcome measures: Comparison of change among arms on the assessment variables - such as health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), satisfaction with care, or patient-professionals communication. These constructs will be measured at recruitment and at follow up visits for all patients, regardless of their arm allocation (arm C would only be administered these questionnaires, without intervention, n=480).

Expected results: Incorporating PROMs and PREMs in routine clinical care may improve patients' and health professionals' experiences on health care, as well as improve patients' health.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being an active patient of the nephrology service, prostate cancer service, breast cancer service, or bariatric surgery service
• In possession of an email account and having basic knowledge of how to manage emails
• In possession of a smartphone, computer, or tablet with access to the Internet
• Fluent and able to read in Spanish

Exclusion Criteria:

- Under 18 years of age