Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes in Chronic Disease

Abstract

Managing chronic disease is increasingly important in pediatric health care. In internal medicine, patient-reported, patient-important outcomes are a key part of assessment of programs. In pediatrics, there has been less focus on patient-reported outcomes. These outcomes are more complex in pediatrics because the utility of patient-reported outcomes may differ by age and, in most cases, parent-reported outcomes are also relevant. In some instances, parents serve as a surrogate for the pediatric patient. In other circumstances, parent-reported outcomes may differ from child-reported outcomes. In this volume of the Journal, Forrest et al report on self-reported child health outcomes across 10 chronic conditions. Across all these conditions, children reported more anxiety, fatigue, pain, and restriction of mobility than reported in the general pediatric population. Disease activity was associated with poorer self-reported outcomes. These results emphasize the need to incorporate patient-reported outcomes in pediatric chronic disease management. Programs will need to develop strategies to improve these patient-reported outcomes. Article page 207