Use of patient-reported outcome measures in Quality Oncology Practice Initiative registered practices: Results of a national survey.

Abstract

81 Background: Measuring patient-reported outcomes (PROs) improves the experience of care and reduces the burden of disease for cancer patients. Professional societies, including ASCO, encourage the collection of PROs, but little is known about how many practices collect PROs and, if so, which PROs are measured and what challenges are met in implementation. Methods: We surveyed Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) registered practices to understand the current state of PROs use and identify areas where greater support for PROs implementation may be needed. One respondent from each practice was invited to complete an online survey that assessed views regarding PROs and challenges with implementation. Non-users were asked about their interest in and barriers to future collection of PROs. Results: Of 233 practices that viewed the request to participate, 109 completed the survey (47%). Most responding practices (73%) currently collect PROs. Of these, 79% are affiliated with hospitals/medical centers, 50% have > 10 advanced practice providers, and 94% use electronic health records. PROs users see a higher volume of patients per week than non-users (p < 0.01). QOPI-registered practices collect a wide variety of PROs, including validated and home-grown questionnaires. The most commonly measured PROs are distress (78%), symptom assessment (76%), and experience/satisfaction (70%). The most frequently reported implementation challenges were the same for users and non-users: patient unwillingness to complete questionnaires (34%) and insufficient staff to support collection (29%). Despite only moderate perceived patient willingness to answer PROs (2.67/5), 79% of all practices believe collecting PROs is a high priority. Conclusions: While many QOPI practices have implemented PROs, substantial barriers to implementation are apparent and may be limiting more wide-spread adoption. Efforts to identify which PROs most improve care quality are sorely needed. Sharing best practices on improving patient/provider buy-in and enabling efficient integration of PROs into clinic workflow may also facilitate adoption and maximize the utility of PROs for oncology practices.