Developing a roadmap for consultations on patient-reported outcomes: Insights from the PROCES study

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Healthcare Management
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are vital for patient-centered and value-based healthcare but face inconsistent implementation.
• Fragmented approaches and lack of expertise hinder effective PRO integration.
• Germany lacks a structured framework for PRO consulting services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a roadmap for standardized, context-adaptive, and resource-efficient PRO implementation.
• To address the absence of practical support for PRO consulting in Germany.
• To bridge the gap between PRO potential and practical application in research and clinical care.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach was used, including qualitative interviews with 28 stakeholders.
• An anonymous survey of 17 PRO experts across seven European countries was conducted.
• A two-day workshop with PRO experts refined the findings, analyzed using qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics.

Main Results:

• Key challenges identified include diverse stakeholder needs, increasing consultation demand, and limited funding.
• A roadmap was proposed with a decision-support flowchart for routine care and a filter scheme for resource allocation.
• 75% of experts supported establishing an international PRO network to standardize consultancy.

Conclusions:

• The PROCES roadmap offers a significant step toward standardized PRO consultancy services in Germany.
• It emphasizes a construct-centered, instrument-independent approach to PRO implementation.
• The roadmap can serve as a blueprint for a national PRO approach and requires further evaluation of adaptability.