Implementing ePROM in specialist palliative home care: the professionals' perspective - a mixed-methods study.

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Health Informatics
• Digital Health

Background:

• Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) enhance understanding of patient needs in healthcare.
• The Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale (IPOS) is a key PROM in palliative care.
• The electronic version (eIPOS) was implemented in German specialist palliative home care (SPHC) teams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore health care professionals' (HCPs') experiences with the acceptance and use of eIPOS in SPHC.
• To identify factors influencing the successful integration of ePROMs into routine clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods sequential explanatory design combining quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups.
• Anonymized online survey of 52 HCPs, with 32 participating.
• Two focus groups conducted to explore ambiguous survey findings, with 7 participants.

Main Results:

• HCPs recognized the potential of ePROMs in palliative home care.
• Key facilitators for implementation include technical ease of use and seamless integration into existing workflows.
• Perceived potential and practical integration are crucial for ePROM adoption.

Conclusions:

• Successful adoption of ePROMs in SPHC hinges on user-friendly design and straightforward integration.
• Addressing HCPs' perceptions and practical concerns is vital for effective ePROM implementation in palliative care settings.