PRO-based clinical communication
Introducing PROMs
It is essential that the patient is well informed about the process of PRO assessment.
Explain
- why PROs are important
- what will be done with the information afterwards
- what exactly you would ask the patient to do (depending on the setting of the assessment).
Suggestions on how to start a conversation:
“… To provide you with good support, it is helpful that you tell us about your personal perception of your symptoms and your quality of life. Therefore, we have a questionnaire, which has been developed especially for and with cancer patients. I would like to ask you to complete the questionnaire by yourself. I will show you, how this works.”
“Mr./Mrs. …, we want to offer you the treatment that best meets your needs. It is therefore important to us that you complete your quality of life questionnaires on a regular basis. In these questionnaires we ask you, for example, how you feel about your illness, your treatment and if you experience specific symptoms or side effects. These questionnaires are easy to fill out. I would like to show you briefly how this works.”
Note: If you use electronic PRO assessment:
- include information about data protection (e.g. within the clinic information system)
- if there is no constant alert for clinicians in case of suspicious replies, include a disclaimer clarifying that answers and the symptoms cannot be looked at immediately. Therefore, acute symptoms must be communicated directly to the health care team in addition to the questionnaire.