Routine assessment and clinical utilisation of patient reported outcomes (PRO) is acceptable to patients and care providers, and significant impacts on patient and survival outcomes, and reduced emergency department (ED) presentations in specific patient populations have also been demonstrated. Despite these effects, PRO collection and use has not been systematically adopted as part of routine care in Australia.
The PROMPT-Care eHealth system was initially developed in 2013, to facilitate PRO data capture from cancer patients, data linkage and retrieval to support clinical decisions, patient self-management, and shared care. Research has demonstrated the system to be acceptable, feasible, and effective in reducing ED presentation in sub-groups of patients. However, to date, the patients utilising the PROMPT-Care system have largely been compliant, health-literate, motivated, and able to complete the assessment in English. Furthermore, while PROMPT-Care achieved full integration into the electronic medical record, lack of such integrated systems could be a barrier for widespread adoption of systems like PROMPT-Care.
Despite the challenges, the potential benefits of well-implemented PRO systems are significant. and costs to the patient and health system are Having clear, evidence-based, care pathways, and actionable recommendations in response to above-threshold PRO scores not only facilitate PRO integration into the clinical workflow, but can also reduce variations in care. Identifying and addressing patient needs in a systematic, timely manner can reduce the overall burden and cost to the patient and to the health care system.
The PROMPT-Care program was funded by: Cancer Institute NSW, Bupa Health Foundation, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Wollondilly Health Alliance
The PROMPT-Care team also includes: Geoff P Delaney, Ivana Durcinoska, Anthony Arnold, Nasreen Kaadan, Andrew Miller, Joseph Descallar, Orlando Rincones, Sandra Avery, Martin Carolan, Stephen Della-Fiorentina, Kenneth Masters, Weng Ng, Tiffany Sandell, Thomas T Tran, Martha Gerges