A PRO-cision Medicine Methods Toolkit to Address the Challenges of Personalizing Cancer Care Using Patient-Reported Outcomes: Introduction to the Supplement

Med Care. 2019 May;57 Suppl 5 Suppl 1(Suppl 5 1):S1-S7. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001089.

Abstract

Patients are increasingly being asked to complete standardized, validated questionnaires with regard to their symptoms, functioning, and well-being [ie, patient-reported outcomes (PROs)] as part of routine care. These PROs can be used to inform patients' care and management, which we refer to as "PRO-cision Medicine." For PRO-cision Medicine to be most effective, clinicians and patients need to be able to understand what the PRO scores mean and how to act on the PRO results. The papers in this supplement to Medical Care describe various methods that have been used to address these issues. Specifically, the supplement includes 14 papers: 6 describe different methods for interpreting PROs and 8 describe how different PRO systems have addressed interpreting PRO scores and/or acting on PRO results. As such, this "Methods Toolkit" can inform clinicians and researchers aiming to implement routine PRO reporting into clinical practice by providing methodological fundamentals and real-world examples to promote personalized patient care.

Publication types

  • Introductory Journal Article
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Data Collection / methods*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Patient Reported Outcome Measures*
  • Precision Medicine / methods