The importance of patient reported outcomes in shaping a healthcare system

Abstract

The feedback patients give on the health system and its services provided is of crucial importance for the longevity and the productivity of the social care system of any country. For the past twenty years many efforts were made for the patient to be in the center of health services as well as healthcare research. Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) are measured as alternative ways for receiving more relevant and enriched information compared to patient satisfaction surveys. After the systematic review of the literature in international level, this paper highlights the reasons why Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) should be playing the key role in the design of a healthcare scheme. All things considered, the adaptation and the use of PRO in general can only be beneficial for a health system both on the primary care and on the social care level. PROMs and PREMs provide information that can bridge the gap between clinical reality and patient perception, thus potentially allowing improvement in health care.