Augment PRO data with contextual information
Augmenting PRO data with additional relevant information can add context and meaning to ePRO reports to enhance understanding and usefulness for patient monitoring and decision-making.
Augmenting PRO data with additional relevant information can add context and meaning to ePRO reports to enhance understanding and usefulness for patient monitoring and decision-making.
Various information sources (e.g., clinical data, practice guidelines) may be relevant and useful for augmenting PRO data to provide a holistic view of patient status. For example, annotating ePRO reports with clinical data (e.g., time of surgery) and demographic data can facilitate their usefulness, particularly in contexts involving an intervention (see Figure 4F). In addition to clinical data, there are many forms of contextual information (e.g., dates, qualitative score labels, timing of interventions, descriptive notes about patient scores) that may help contextualize PRO data presented in ePRO reports, as illustrated in Figures 4G and 4H.
The most relevant data to add will depend upon the clinical context, diagnosis, and other factors. Table 4D lists options to consider for supplementing reports with contextual information in various clinical contexts.
Strategy Consideration | PRO Tips |
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Minimal clinically important difference (MCID) | MCIDs (as opposed to statistically significant differences) reflect changes in a clinical intervention that are meaningful for the patient (i.e., may result in a change in patient management). Indicating MCID with a visual cue (See Figure 4H) can help providers discern meaningful changes in PRO scores. |
Logistical information |
Logistical information about the collection of the PRO score can help to facilitate accurate interpretation. Such information may include:
|
Scale interpretation cues |
Contextual information to help interpret PRO scales may include:
|
Cues to designate improved versus worsening score |
An increase in score for certain PRO instruments represents a positive change, whereas on other instruments, an increase in score may represent a decline. Visual cues to provide clarity may include:
|
Additional patient-provided data |
Patient-provided data that can aid in accurate interpretation may include:
|
Clinical data |
Data from the patient’s health record can support a more complete picture, enabling decision-making related to clinical program development and modification. Data may include:
|
Response instructions | Possibilities for enhancing score representation include augmenting graphical information with guidance on how to respond to scores or changes in scores. For example, these might include indications that additional diagnostics or consultation with a specialty care provider may be helpful. |
Some of the prevailing challenges are listed below, along with tactics to consider to address these challenges:
Challenges and Tactics Contextualize Data
Challenges
Tactics
For additional insight on how to augment PRO data with clinical data on ePRO reports, see Recommended Resources related to: