Real time PROMS and PREMS in oncology
Grant Funded: Monash Health
Real-time patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMS) in oncology: enhancing inclusivity and toward a new standard of care.
SMICS Funding Program Initiative
Health Service: Monash Health / Monash University
Building on the work from their pilot study, the Monash Health PROMs and PREMs research team implemented a suite of these instruments into routine practice at two busy oncology outpatient clinics located at Moorabbin Hospital. The project intervention was deployed both remotely and in-person at the clinics, which managed patients with breast cancers and thoracic cancers. This implementation was also designed to enhance inclusivity by providing language translations of the intervention for patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
Conclusion
The implementation of real-time PROMs and PREMs in two busy outpatient oncology clinics was well received by patients, carers, and the healthcare staff team clinicians. It facilitated communication between patients and their clinicians on symptoms and concerns. There was minimal impact on consultation time, which is a commonly cited barrier to implementation of such initiatives. Ongoing data analysis will identify whether participation in the PROMs and PREMs are associated with different clinical outcomes.
Our experience suggests that collecting and using real-time PROMs and PREMs in busier settings can be feasible and acceptable, building on the body of work from our pilot study and previously reported international data in this space. There remains further work to be done to improve uptake of the opportunity to utilise real-time PROMs and PREMs amongst non-participants, including subgroups of the CALD population. The Monash Health PROMs and PREMs team are committed to ongoing work in this space, to bring these valuable tools into routine practice to enhance delivery of truly person-centred care.
For further information on this project contact smics.quality@monashhealth.org.