Patient Reported Outcomes Measures

here is a growing interest in the development of new outcome measures that allow for a better and more efficient assessment of what matters most

to patients and hence delivering patient-centred healthcare across the continuum of care. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) will play a central role in measuring the quality of care delivered. The primary aim of health care is treating patients with the least possible side effects whilst achieving the best possible quality of life after treatment. Traditional measures on core services have been based solely on clinical measurements such as mortality and morbidity. These measurements provide necessary and objective indicators of quality of care, but are limited in terms of measuring patient’s quality of life during and after treatment including treatment related side effects and functional disabilities.

PROMs are a measurement of any aspect of a patient’s health status that comes directly from the patient (1). PROMs measure patients’ views of their symptoms, their functional status, and their health related quality of life at a single point in time, and are collected through short, self-completed questionnaires. This health status information provides an indication of the outcomes or quality of care. By comparing a patient’s health at different times, the outcome of the care received can be determined. This measurement of outcome also distinguishing PROMs from patient reported experience measures (PREMs), which focus on aspects of care, such as satisfaction with treatment or patient experienced errors (2).

However, there is limited experience with implementing a system-wide initiative to collect and use patient reported outcomes for quality and value improvement. Results from clinical trials suggest that routine assessment of PROMs – by patient self-reporting of symptoms in the clinic waiting room or between visits via electronic interface – has been shown to be feasible and efficient and to increase patient satisfaction with care (3). It can help guide treatment planning, decision making and improvements in symptom management as well as patients’ overall quality of life (4). Further, sensitive information such as sexual concerns or alcohol use is more likely to be obtained via electronic symptom monitoring and to be more reliable compared with face-to-face reporting (5).

In the past, patient-reported symptom information has not been routinely collected as a part of clinical care, largely as a result of logistic barriers. As we move into an era of interconnected electronic health information, collection and clinical use of patient-reported data should play a prominent role in addressing the needs and concerns of patients. PROMs are where data driven health care and patient centred care intersect.

If you would like more information on PROMs – the role and impact on quality in health care – you can attend the ISQua Pre-Conference Programme on Sunday 13th October 2013. The pre-programme will address important themes: PROMs as well as patient engagement, where focus will be on providing insight into the practice of engaging patients through examples from various systems and levels.

 

References

(1)   U.S Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration Guidance for Industry (2009): Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: Use in Medical Product Development to Support Labeling Claims.

(2)   Black, N (2013): Patient reported outcome measures could help transform healthcare. BMJ;346:f167. Elopement packages get married in New York City! These elopement packages can be used in any location in the Big Apple. Whether you want to get married by the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park or tie the knot while exploring our Fabulous City, we have the right package for you.

(3)   Bennett A, Jensen RE, Basch E (2012): Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome System in Oncology Clinical Practice. CA Cancer J Clin. Sep-Oct;62(5):337-47

(4)   Valderas JM, Kotzeva A, Espallargues M, Guyatt G, Ferrans CE, Halyard MY, et al. (2008): The impact of measuring patient-reported outcomes in clinical practice: a systematic review of the literature. Qual Life Res;17:179-93.

(5)   Dupont A, Wheeler J, Herndon JE II, et alm (2009): Use of tablet personal computers for sensitive patient-reported information. J Support Oncol 7:91-97

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Nourhan Kawtharani

Nourhan, a quality and safety coordinator with eight years of experience in ambulatory healthcare in Lebanon, aims to deepen her understanding of the systemic and holistic approach to healthcare through this fellowship.

She aims to identify gaps and develop tailored interventions that address specific contexts rather than applying general solutions. Engaging with diverse professionals and perspectives during this educational journey will expand the application of these concepts across different cultural settings.

Nourhan emphasizes the importance of promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement within healthcare institutions, considering it a vital leadership responsibility to integrate quality and safety initiatives into the organizational culture.

Nourhan's commitment to patient safety and quality management includes sourcing practical resources and transforming insights into actionable knowledge to drive continued progress in healthcare practices and outcomes.

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Elom Otchi

Elom is passionate about improving quality of care and patient safety outcomes.

In view of this, he has had the opportunity to work in various capacities with various organisations including AfIHQSA, WHO, UNICEF and others undertaking research, supporting the development of national quality policies and strategies, facilitating the establishment of quality governance systems across all the levels of the health sector and building capacity of national and sub-national quality leads/teams to institutionalize the practice of quality and patient safety across the continent.

He has also worked extensively across all levels of care in the health sector of Ghana, including leading the Quality & Patient Safety program in its largest teaching hospital.

I would like to use this Fellowship as a learning platform and an opportunity to acquire the requisite knowledge, skills and competencies to complement ongoing efforts by like-minded individuals and organizations to continuously advance improve the quality and patient safety in Ghana and the continent.

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Stephen Taiye Balogun

Stephen is a Senior Programme Officer at the Institute of Human Virology in Nigeria as well as Country Representative for Health Information for All (HIFA).

Stephen plans to use this opportunity to maximise his impact by championing the cause of patient safety and quality in Nigeria and across Africa.

Stephen says "Quality and safety is a major wheel through which universal healthcare coverage can be achieved. The goal is to be a bridge in the gap between the International Quality Improvement and Patient Safety community and my country to ensure rapid spread, adoption, implementation and practice."

We are looking forward to working with both Stephen and our 2020 winner Rhoda Kalondu over the next year.

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Dr Rhoda Kalondu

Rhoda is the Head of the Patient Safety Unit at Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi and wants to use this Fellowship to learn how to establish a culture of safety and develop systems for assessment and analysis at her institution, and more widely. As well as this, Rhoda intends to develop and execute an intervention to improve patient safety in Kenyatta National Hospital.

It is one thing to institute measures and processes for improvement, but quite another to change the culture of an environment. Rhoda's ambition to lead others in this change inspired the panel.

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Dr Subhrojyoti Bhowmick

I am an MBBS graduate from Calcutta University with a Gold Medal in Gynecology & Obstetrics.

I have completed M.D in Pharmacology from IPGME& R, Kolkata and have over 12 years of experience in the field of Clinical Research, Pharmacovigilance and Medication management in Hospitals.

I have completed certification in Clinical Research Administration & Project Management from Stanford University, USA and in Patient Safety from Johns Hopkins University, USA.

I am an Assessor for National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Health care providers (NABH), India assessing hospitals for medication safety and clinical quality standards and NABH Assessor for Ethics Committee Accreditation program in India as well.

I serve as the Chairperson, Institutional Ethics Committee of Health Point Hospital, Kolkata and am associated with 2 other Hospital ethics committees as a member.

I finished my Fellowship in Healthcare Quality from the International Society of Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) from Ireland in 2017.

I have published several research articles and have also authored a chapter on “Regulations governing Clinical Trial” in the book “Fundamentals of Clinical Trial & Research”.

I am a peer reviewer for prestigious international journals like the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, CNS Drugs and Drug Safety case reports.

I am the recipient of the UK Seth Oration Award for Best Clinical Pharmacology paper by the Indian Pharmacological Society in 2009 and the “Most promising Healthcare professional in Patient Safety in India” award by the Asian African Chamber of Commerce and Industry in October 2018.

Recently in April 2019, I received the Young Quality Achiever award by Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO), India for 2019 for my work in the field of medication safety and clinical research.

I have a keen interest in teaching and am visiting adjunct faculty of Pharmacology at KMC, Mangalore, India and for Healthcare technology at MAKAUT, Kolkata, India.

I was associated with Stanford University School of Medicine, in the USA as a Senior Clinical Research Associate from 2015 to 2017 and have certification in Biostatistics, Evidence-based Medicine and Medical Writing from Stanford University.

Currently, I am working as the Clinical Director of Academics, Medical Quality and Clinical Research at Peerless Hospital and B K Roy Research Centre, Kolkata.

I am very happy and thrilled to receive the prestigious ISQua Lucian Leape Patient safety Fellowship Award for 2019 and I look forward to honing my skills further in the field of healthcare quality and patient safety through my experiences during this fellowship.

I sincerely believe that successful completion of this fellowship will help me evolve as a more confident Patient safety leader in India who in turn can provide significant inputs on policy changes through NABH for the Indian healthcare system.

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