Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Physiotherapy: An Overview

Abstract

High-quality patient-centered health care involves incorporating patient choice in the treatment plan. Patient engagement corresponds with the quality of life (QoL) and satisfaction, which can be achieved by including patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in physiotherapy practice. PROMs are instruments to evaluate health outcomes from the perspective of the patient and to determine whether the management plan enhances their QoL. PROMs in regular practice offer a structured way for clinicians to track patient symptoms, determine clinical outcomes, and facilitate collaborative decision-making. During the patient assessment, it aids in establishing a consistent framework, confirming the clinical results, and ascertaining the validity of the evaluation to the desired treatment. PROM data can be collected in several ways, including in-person interviews, questionnaires, and diaries. The use of PROMs in research increases both the research process as well as the validity of its findings. Integrating PROMs into physiotherapy management is an opportunity to rightly understand the patient’s QoL trajectory and broaden the range of PROMs estimated in shared decision-making. Although PROM administration by clinicians helps for tracking patients, for guiding treatment considerations, and for providing a more central viewpoint for patients, its usage remains unclear by including patients in shared decision-making. However, establishing a patient-centered, comprehensive prototype of treatment requires the regular application of authorized PROMs. Incorporation of PROMs in physiotherapy practice can facilitate a multidimensional and patient-centered evaluation of the disease, identify unfulfilled needs, direct physiotherapist attention to these needs, and better inform policymakers in the light of identifying patient goals.