Patient-Reported Outcomes in Performance Measurement

This book addresses the major methodological issues related to choosing, administering, and using patient-reported outcomes (PROs), particularly in clinical practice settings.

PROs are measures of how patients feel or what they are able to do as they are dealing with chronic diseases or conditions. Based on questionnaires completed by patients without any modification of responses by clinicians or others, PROs reflect the patient's point of view. They provide information on a patient's health conditions, health behaviors, or experiences with health care. PROs cover domains such as physical health, mental and emotional health, functioning, symptoms and symptom burden, and health behaviors.

Basing their advice on both classic and modern test theory, the authors describe best practices in using PROs in performance measures while accommodating patients with diverse linguistic, cultural, educational, and functional skills. They examine complex issues relating to scoring and analyzing PRO data, but they do so in straightforward way, often using nontechnical language with clear examples.

Their discussion and recommendations are easy to understand for both audiences experienced in PRO measurement and those new to the field.