Hydroflex: Use of Patient Reported Outcomes in a Clinical Setting Among Patients with Hydrocephalus

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Digital Health
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures capture patient health status directly, aiding symptom monitoring, communication, and early problem identification.
• PRO data are increasingly utilized in healthcare to streamline patient management and reduce unnecessary appointments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate Hydroflex, a novel PRO system designed for hydrocephalus patient management.
• To assess the system's ability to guide clinical decisions and determine the need for patient consultations.

Main Methods:

• Hydroflex utilizes patient-reported outcome measures collected via questionnaires sent to patients' homes.
• An automated algorithm analyzes PRO data to rank symptom severity and inform clinical decision-making.
• The system aims to replace scheduled outpatient appointments with needs-based consultations.

Main Results:

• The paper details the implementation and initial experiences with the Hydroflex system at the institution.
• Early data suggests the system's feasibility in managing hydrocephalus patients.

Conclusions:

• Hydroflex is expected to improve treatment continuity and standardize follow-up for hydrocephalus patients.
• The system has the potential to enhance patient satisfaction, involvement, and reduce outpatient visits.
• Hydroflex also offers utility for quality control and future research in hydrocephalus management.