9. PRO-based initiation of clinical interventions
Standardising PRO-based initiation of clinical interventions by using clinical pathways
What are clinical pathways?
Standardised, evidence-based workflows for managing patients with similar conditions (e.g., a tumour type or a specific symptom). They are usually shown as sequence of interventions delivered by a (multidisciplinary) team with defined roles.
Example: ESMO Interactive Guidelines include a pathway for assessing cancer-related fatigue
Why are clinical pathways helpful in the PRO-based initiation of clinical interventions?
They increase
by providing a comprehensive and easily understandable overview of the process for the whole clinical team.
How can clinical pathways be developed?
For the development of evidence-based care pathways and pragmatic workflows, available guidelines and resources (staff, time) should be incorporated to ensure that PRO assessments have meaningful consequences. Reported PRO issues should be prioritised with respect to patient burden and clinical relevance to inform appropriate clinical interventions.
More detailed information can be found in guidance developed by the National Council of Mental Wellbeing.
Click here to see an example for a clinical pathway to react to PRO data (appetite loss assessed with the EORTC QLQ-C30).
