Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov;28(6):e13167.
doi: 10.1111/ecc.13167. Epub 2019 Oct 11.

What is needed by staff to implement PROMs into routine oncology care? A qualitative study with the multi-disciplinary team

Natasha A Roberts  1   2 , Kim Alexander  3 , David Wyld  2   4 , Monika Janda  1   5
Affiliations

What is needed by staff to implement PROMs into routine oncology care? A qualitative study with the multi-disciplinary team

Natasha A Roberts et al. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to identify strategies to implement patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) into routine oncology outpatients' clinical care.

Methods: Qualitative focus groups were conducted with staff from multiple disciplines using a semistructured interview guide, with supporting data collected in field notes. Data were analysed using a Directed Content Analysis guided by an implementation science framework. The synthesis of the extracted data aimed to identify key requirements which correspond to intrinsic enablers and barriers for implementation.

Results: 52 staff members from the multi-disciplinary team participated. Data extracted showed five key themes and three key requirements regarding implementation of PROMs. Staff would consider using PROMs if there was strong research evidence that demonstrates benefits for patient outcomes, if PROM data was relevant to current clinical practice, and if applied appropriately in the specific setting. These findings add pragmatic detail and new knowledge to the current evidence on pathways to PROM implementation. This data can be used to inform implementation of PROMs into health services.

Conclusion: Staff have valuable tacit knowledge of what works in practice that offers a unique opportunity to increase successful implementation of a PROM intervention for patient symptom reporting.

Keywords: implementation science; multi-disciplinary; oncology; patient-reported outcome measure; qualitative research; symptom.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Absolom, K., Holch, P., Pini, S., Hill, K., Liu, A., Sharpe, M., … Velikova, G. (2011). Detection and management of emotional distress in cancer patients: The views of health professionals. Psycho-oncology, 20, 38.
    1. Antunes, B., Harding, R., & Higginson, I. (2014). Implementing patient-reported outcome measures in palliative care practice: A systematic review of facilitators and barriers. Palliative Medicine, 28(2), 158-175.
    1. Basch, E. (2017). Patient-reported outcomes-harnessing patients’ voices to improve clinical care. New England Journal of Medicine, 376, 105-108. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1611252
    1. Baskerville, N. B., Liddy, C., & Hogg, W. (2012). Systematic review and meta-analysis of practice facilitation within primary care settings. Annals of Family Medicine, 10(1), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.1312
    1. Berta, W., Cranley, L., Dearing, J. W., Dogherty, E. J., Squires, J. E., & Estabrooks, C. A. (2015). Why (we think) facilitation works: Insights from organizational learning theory. Implementation Science, 10, 141. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-015-0323-0