Patient-Reported Outcomes, Digital Health, and the Quest to Improve Health Equity

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Digital Health
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• The 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting theme emphasizes patient-clinician partnerships.
• Digital tools offer potential to enhance patient-centered cancer care and clinical research accessibility.
• Electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) improve communication and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the use of ePROs and digital health tools in cancer care.
• To explore how digital tools can expand access and generalizability in oncology research.
• To discuss prospects for broader implementation of digital health in cancer care.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) for symptom and well-being data collection.
• Adopting digital tools such as telemedicine and remote patient monitoring.
• Identifying and addressing infrastructure, patient, provider, and system-level barriers.

Main Results:

• ePROs facilitate patient-clinician communication, improving care and outcomes.
• Digital tools, including telemedicine, have been rapidly adopted in cancer practices.
• Early data suggest minority populations, older patients, and those with less education may benefit significantly from ePROs.

Conclusions:

• Digital health tools, particularly ePROs, are vital for patient-centered cancer care and research.
• Addressing implementation barriers is crucial for equitable access and optimal function of digital tools.
• Partnerships are essential for developing and implementing digital health solutions that meet diverse patient needs.