The use of patient-reported outcome measures by healthcare professionals in specialized asthma management centers in French-speaking Belgium: A mixed-methods study.

introductionRecently, the literature has promoted the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in clinical practice as a means to foster patient engagement. However, conditions necessary to support the use of PROMs to encourage asthma patient engagement are not clearly defined. Therefore, we sought (1) to explore the current and ideal use of PROMs by healthcare professionals (HP) in specialized asthma management centers in French-speaking Belgium and (2) to understand under which conditions the use of PROMs contributes to patient engagement.

methodsWe undertook a mixed-methods study with both anonymous online survey and in-person qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted with HPs to understand their perspectives on the routine use of PROMs. HPs were recruited from 16 asthma centers (French-speaking Belgium) identified via the Belgian Respiratory Society.

resultsOf the 170 HPs identified from the 16 participating centers, 51 (30%) responded to the survey (n = 51) and 11 completed semi-structured interviews. 53% (27/51) of the surveyed HPs reported using PROMs primarily for asthma monitoring and clinical research while all reported that PROMs should primarily be used in practice to facilitate communication with the patient and to address neglected aspects of the care relationship such as the psychosocial aspects of the disease. The qualitative interviews revealed avenues for moving from a medical-centered and utilitarian use of PROMs to a use serving patient engagement. This would require HPs to go beyond their current representation of PROMs, to use instruments offering a more holistic image of the patient, to incorporate PROMs into a digital tool and to integrate PROMs in a patient education process.

conclusionThe main findings of this study suggest relevant avenues for using PROMs in ways that support patient engagement.