Patient Voices: Multimethod Study on the Feasibility of Implementing Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Informatics
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• "Patient Voices" software facilitates systematic electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) collection in oncology.
• This study evaluated the "Patient Voices" ePROM system in an Italian cancer center.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess compliance and feasibility of the "Patient Voices" ePROM system.
• Identify patient-related barriers to ePROM implementation in routine oncology care.

Main Methods:

• A multimethod study (quantitative and qualitative) enrolled cancer patients from outpatient and inpatient settings.
• Data collected included ePROM compliance, reasons for non-administration, patient interaction needs, and System Usability Scale (SUS) scores.
• Semistructured interviews were conducted with a subsample of patients.

Main Results:

• High eligibility (96.7%) and completion rates (73.4%) for ePROMs were observed.
• Organizational problems and patient refusal were key barriers; 27.8% of outpatients needed help with tablet use.
• The "Patient Voices" system demonstrated high usability (mean SUS scores: 86.8 outpatients, 83.9 inpatients), with 76.9% compliance in repeated measurements.
• Patients reported positive attitudes but noted time/cognitive effort barriers and skepticism regarding clinician interaction.

Conclusions:

• The "Patient Voices" system offers valuable insights for implementing ePROMs in routine cancer care.
• Findings are applicable to other organizations seeking to systematically collect patient-reported outcomes.