Summary of Dr Judith Baumhauer keynote “PROs: How they influence the care we provide to our patients”
Read next our summary of Dr Judith Baumhauer, M.D., M.P.F. inspiring keynote “Patient Reported Outcomes: How they influence the care we provide to our patients”. Dr. Baumhauer speech kicked off H2O’s public webinar “Driving a brighter future in healthcare through patient-reported outcomes (PROs): The H2O approach” held online October 5th.
Dr. Baumhauer started by referring to the distinct movement that has taken place in healthcare over the last few decades to move to a person-centered approach with treatment. She explained that in order to do so, we must start by truly involving and understanding each patient as an individual. One of the best tools for doing so are patient-reported outcomes.
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are questions that tap directly into the patient perspective. These differ from typical clinical outcomes collected by healthcare providers such as biological samples and physiological tests. Instead, PROs ask patients about their quality of life, levels of satisfaction, personal outcome priorities, and other key indicators which can only be sourced from the patients themselves. The inclusion of PROs not only helps to personalize treatments, but also empower the patient’s voice.
The inclusion of PROs not only helps to personalize treatments, but also empower the patient’s voice.
Furthermore, Dr. Baumhauer considered that healthcare providers benefit from including PROs through an increase in outcome data, which can be used to compare treatment plans and interventions. Such improvements can reduce unnecessary treatments, normalize a patient’s experience, and much, much more. Additionally, patients seem not only willing but excited to contribute their perspective on their well-being.
Healthcare providers benefit from including PROs through an increase in outcome data, which can be used to compare treatment plans and interventions.
A litany of institutes has already adopted their use and have found strong support from the patient populations. And while some resources are needed to implement and review PROs, according to Dr. Baumhauer, there has been a strong base of healthcare provider support as well. PROs have enabled them to observe the first-hand benefit to their patients through the increased availability of valuable data and feedback.
Dr Judith Baumhauer, M.D., M.P.F is Associate Chair of Academic Affairs and Professor, Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Rochester. She is Director of the Clinical BioInformatics Core for the UR Health Care System and Board director of Accountable Health Partners, ACO for the Rochester Region.
Watch recording here.
