Quality Service and Improvement
Patient Related Outcomes Measures (PROMs)
PROMs are questionnaires or surveys that give patients a voice to report on outcomes relating to their health. Questions focus on various aspects of health such as symptoms, daily functioning, pain and quality of life. These surveys can be used to obtain the patients' view on the benefit of a treatment such as conservative management, medications or surgery and provide an understanding of the use of these treatments among healthcare providers. PROMs are usually measured on two or more occasions to enable comparisons to be made over time. The results of these PROMs can influence strategies aimed at improving healthcare quality and safety.
Why Measuring Patient Outcomes is Important
As healthcare systems struggle with rising costs, improving performance and accountability depends on having a shared goal that unites the interests of all stakeholders (patients, families, healthcare providers and health institutions). Refocusing efforts on value, as determined by the evaluation of patient outcomes relative to costs of interventions, is becoming a priority. Measuring the patient's perceptions is important in evaluating the impact of specific medical conditions, the effectiveness of a treatment or intervention, and measuring provision of quality healthcare. Patient Related Outcomes (PROs) is becoming a more commonly accepted way in which to gather this.
Measuring PROMS in neurology, neurosurgery, spinal surgery and the neurosciences
The Newro Foundation manages an application called Surgical Outcome Audit and Reporting system (SOARS) . SOARS is a web-based program designed to assess the short-term and long-term outcomes following the management of degenerative spinal conditions from the perspective of both the patient and surgeon.
What are the benefits of SOARS?
- Allows surgeons to monitor results efficiently and in real time
- Decreases data entry error and possible bias
- Data security as all information is encrypted and esnures communication privacy
- Allows data collection for national collaborative initiatives
- Can be modified for specific research projects
