Exploring the Impact of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures on Surgical Decision-Making and Healthcare Resource Optimization

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures are surveys or questionnaires that patients fill out. They share how patients feel about their health and recovery. Unlike usual clinical data, like lab tests or scans, PROMs focus on things like pain, body movement, mental health, and quality of life from the patient’s point of view.

In orthopedic surgery, for example, PROMs measure how well a patient can walk without pain after knee or hip surgery. Research by Dr. Leif Solberg at the HealthPartners Institute shows that patients like outcomes that fit their own health goals more than general scores. This means it is important to customize PROMs to what matters most for each patient.

Doctors and care teams use PROMs to make better surgery plans. These measures help them understand how treatments change a patient’s quality of life. When surgeons get detailed information from patients about symptoms and abilities, they can plan surgery and care after surgery more carefully. This helps get better results while thinking about what patients want.

PROMs and Healthcare Resource Optimization

PROMs also help make better use of healthcare resources. Traditional surgery decisions often rely on clinical signs or images, which might not fully show the patient’s actual experience or need for surgery.

PROMs support shared decision-making by including what patients want and expect. This can reduce surgeries or treatments that might not improve life quality. Orthopedic surgeons use PROMs not only for single patients but also to check performance for doctors or departments. When PROM data is combined, it works as a quality check. It helps hospitals see how treatments work and find ways to improve.

One challenge is that PROM data might not show quick improvements. At HealthPartners Institute, reports every three months for over a year did not show big outcome changes. This means longer studies may be needed. But collecting PROM data over time gives ongoing information that can help manage healthcare resources better.

It is important to get more patients to complete PROM surveys. Dr. Solberg’s team found that sending text messages to remind patients raised survey completion by about 5%. Small increases like this improve data quality and help doctors make better choices.

Integration Challenges in Clinical Workflows

Even though PROMs are useful, many healthcare places find it hard to use them fully. Patient response rates can be low. Also, it can be difficult to add PROM results into electronic health records and daily work processes. If the data is not easy to see and use, doctors might not check PROMs during patient visits.

Another problem is that many PROM tools focus on standard scores instead of mixing patient-preferred results and personal context. Patients like details about how their condition affects daily life more than just numbers. These details help them understand recovery and join decisions about care.

Orthopedic surgeons say PROMs can improve communication between doctors and patients. Checking PROMs early and often may keep care continuous, support decisions shared between patients and doctors, and possibly improve long-term results.

AI and Workflow Automation in Surgical Care and PROM Use

New technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and workflow automation can make PROMs more useful in surgery. AI helps healthcare by making diagnosis more accurate, guessing treatment results, and personalizing care. AI combined with patient data can help surgeons make better decisions.

A review by Mohamed Khalifa and Mona Albadawy shows AI helps in important areas like diagnosis, prognosis, risk assessment, treatment response, and predicting complications. When AI and PROM data work together, they can find patients who will benefit most from certain surgery or care plans.

Surgical teams can use AI inside electronic health systems to check PROM scores along with clinical data in real time. This helps by showing trends, warning about risks, and suggesting treatment options based on both clinical facts and patient reports. Patient preferences for health results can also be measured to further tailor care.

Automation makes work easier by sending patient reminders, collecting PROM data, and combining information automatically. For example, automated texts ask patients to complete surveys before and after surgery, which raises response rates without extra staff effort, as seen in studies.

Automation tools also help gather and explain PROM data in simple reports for doctors and managers. These reports support tracking patient outcomes, comparing quality, and managing resources better.

For medical administrators and IT teams in the U.S., using AI-driven PROM solutions is becoming more important. These technologies help health systems change to value-based care, which bases payment on quality and patient-focused results.

Importance for Medical Practice Administrators, Owners, and IT Managers

Hospitals and surgery centers in the U.S. focus on cutting costs and making patients happy. PROMs, with help from AI and automation, offer clear ways to improve both.

Medical practice administrators should focus on adding PROM systems that fit with current electronic health records and workflows. This makes it easier for doctors to see all patient data together and talk with patients about surgery choices.

Practice owners need to think about investing in technology to collect and analyze PROM data. With current rules, showing patient outcomes and value-based care can affect payment rates and reputation in the market.

IT managers have an important job setting up systems that keep PROM data safe and easy to use for both doctors and patients. They should work with clinical teams to pick PROM tools with surveys that can be changed, clear data views, and good links with electronic health records.

AI and automation can also help cut down on paperwork, reduce errors, and speed up patient involvement. These benefits lower costs and let care teams spend more time with patients instead of doing admin work.

Using PROMs to Support Patient-Centered Surgical Care in the U.S.

Research shows PROMs support patient-centered care, which is important for good surgery and happy patients. Patients want results that match their goals, like walking without pain or going back to work, rather than just numbers. Doctors should recognize and use these preferences when planning care.

By using PROMs that reflect patient goals, surgeons can give advice and treatments better suited to each patient. This helps with shared decisions, builds trust, and may lower unnecessary surgeries, saving healthcare resources.

Using PROMs also fits with health system rules that focus on value. These rules pay attention to care quality, patient safety, and using resources wisely. PROM data can provide important information in all these areas.

Final Thoughts on the Role of Technology and PROMs

Healthcare is changing to use more data and to focus on patients. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures play an important role in this change, especially in surgery fields like orthopedics. Even though there are still challenges in using them, AI and automation are helping to fix those problems.

Medical administrators, owners, and IT staff in the U.S. should think about how PROMs can help get better patient results and use resources better in their organizations. Investing in technology that makes PROM collection and use easy is becoming a must in moving toward value-based care.

The combined use of PROMs, AI, and automation can help surgical practices meet rules and give care that fits each patient’s needs. This approach helps patients, doctors, and healthcare groups all work better together.