Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Cardiovascular Research and Care: PRO(M)s and CONS

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are vital tools in cardiovascular disease research and care, providing insights that complement traditional clinical outcomes such as mortality and morbidity. PROMs capture patient experiences with cardiovascular disease, such as quality of life, functional capacity, and emotional well-being, allowing clinicians to assess how interventions affect daily life. PROMs are integral to cardiovascular investigations and management, especially in chronic conditions and rehabilitation, where they inform on the impact of personalized care plans by tracking symptom progression and patient adherence. Selecting and applying to cardiovascular research and practice effective PROMs involves evaluating their validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change, with instruments such as the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire and the Seattle Angina Questionnaire widely used for heart failure and coronary artery disease, respectively. Implementing PROMs in real-world practice requires addressing challenges related to workflow integration and patient adherence, emphasizing their value in patient-centered care. As digital health advances, remote PROM data collection through mobile applications and wearable devices will enhance access to and extent of PROMs, and artificial intelligence-driven analytical tools will provide real-time, automated and plausible more poignant insights for personalized treatment. Future efforts should focus on culturally adapting PROMs for diverse populations to ensure global applicability. PROMs should also be established as essential components of innovative research and responsive, patient-centered cardiovascular care.