HXD 2019

Improving Clinical Processes, But at What Cost? An Exploration of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement

Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) have emerged as another dimension of clinical care and research, with the potential to provide highly valuable insights. With technological advances, the remote and electronic collection of PROs, has become increasingly feasible, permitting patient assessments uncoupled from point-of-care. At present, many institutions have adopted an approach to gathering patient longitudinal data, but at what cost? While measuring patient’s data longitudinally would be a great tool to improve clinical processes, healthcare institutions face significant barriers such as selective attrition, low overall participation, confusion, and unfulfilled patient expectations. Collection efforts encompass diverse data collection modes, vendors, and tools. As Mayo Clinic moves toward a unified Epic EHR, there is an opportunity to standardize ePRO collection and clinical integration across the Enterprise, while providing the patient the highest level of care.
At the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery | Innovation and Design, we have developed a set of patient-centered design principles, institutions like Mayo Clinic should consider before implementing ePROs into their practice. Additionally, much can be learned within this endeavor about always advocating for the patient perspective on a project with a strong agenda. Utilizing the Design Principles for Patient-Centered ePROs, can help to frame what a future patient experience should look like in order to improve clinical processes, help inform research, and ultimately make for a great experience for patients who are interested and invested in providing long-term outcomes.