Development of the ‘AusPROM’ recommendations for elective surgery patients

Objective Implementing the routine collection of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) is key to improving healthcare quality and patient satisfaction. The implementation process can be strengthened through staff and patient co-design. The aim of this project was to develop a set of Australian PROM implementation recommendations ('AusPROM') to guide rapid translation into practice. Methods Staff working across 29 Australian private hospitals participated in the project. The hospitals provided elective surgery and spanned each state and territory of Australia. Staff engaged in a Delphi technique to develop the AusPROM, which involved three iterative focus groups. To ensure full disclosure, staff were also provided with additional project-related data sources throughout the Delphi technique. This included data from a patient focus group (patient co-design), patient survey, technical feasibility testing, 3 months of pilot testing (four sites), 3 months of national implementation (29 sites) and global evidence. This process ensured that staff and patient feedback was used to co-design the three iterations of the AusPROM recommendations until the final agreed version was established. Results A total of 22 AusPROM recommendations were included in the final iteration. The recommendations covered the domains of PROM characteristics, healthcare organisation characteristics, external influences, staff and patient characteristics, and facilitators to implementing AusPROMS in routine practice. Conclusion The AusPROM recommendations offer practical considerations for the implementation of PROMs in hospitals. The iterative nature of the Delphi technique ensured that staff and patient co-design were central to the development of the AusPROM recommendations.