Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) are steadily carving their space within healthcare systems, primarily empowered by digital health advancements. However, adopting PRO measures (PROMs) broadly in healthcare decision-making encounters substantial inertia. As the healthcare landscape increasingly values the patient perspective, understanding the complexities and dynamics that facilitate or hinder PROM use becomes vital. The scoping review aimed to unravel the prevailing benefits and barriers associated with PRO data deployment in patient-clinician interactions.
Investigating Current Dynamics
The review leveraged comprehensive database searches, including Embase and MEDLINE, spanning from 2014 to 2024. Researchers focused on publications highlighting PRO’s influence on patient quality of life, clinical care, and value assessment. An extensive pursuit also covered national health technology assessment agency websites, engaging a snowballing technique to widen the literature landscape. This expansive approach synthesized articles under three pivotal queries—patient, clinician, and healthcare service level issues.
Benefits and Barriers Unveiled
After filtering 1,846 citations, 13 relevant articles surfaced. Patient-level insights showed EDGE enhancements in care satisfaction and experiences, mediated by improved communication. Nevertheless, challenges like uncertainty regarding PROM mechanisms, application variability, follow-up inconsistencies, and unmet patient expectations posed significant hurdles. Meanwhile, clinicians observed enhanced symptom clarity, better care satisfaction, and guided decision-making through PROM use, yet faced difficulties with integrating these into routine practice consistently.
– Patients enjoy increased care satisfaction through improved communication.
– Clinicians benefit from symptom clarity and informed decisions despite integration issues.
– Health services witness enhanced efficiency and unmet need identification, though basic PROM value questions linger.
On the broader healthcare service level, PROMs offer pathways to improved efficiency and an understanding of unmet needs. However, skepticism remains concerning consistent interpretation across groups and determining PRO data’s fundamental value due to limited evidence of direct care outcome improvements.
PROMs are integral to fostering better interactions between patients and healthcare providers, evidently enhancing communication and satisfaction. Still, substantial reservations about their adoption exist, pending further quantifiable insights into their impact on clinical outcomes. As the healthcare industry moves towards more patient-centered approaches, expanding research and trials focusing on standardized implementation strategies for PROMs is crucial. This will not only streamline clinician workflows but also align patient expectations with outcomes, optimizing the overall care delivery framework.
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