10-step guide to standardising patient-reported outcomes data collection in healthcare
This guideline offers a clear 10-step process to help healthcare providers collect patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) consistently and effectively in routine care. It was developed to overcome common barriers like technology issues, lack of staff engagement, and poor integration into clinical workflows. The steps support the use of digital PROMs (ePROMs) so that patients' voices can improve both individual care and health system decisions.
At a glance
Use when
Implementing ePROMs in routine clinical practice, designing digital health outcome monitoring systems, integrating patient-reported data into electronic health records, supporting value-based healthcare initiatives
Avoid when
No digital infrastructure is available, there is no stakeholder interest in patient-reported data, or when short-term, one-off PROM collection is sufficient without system integration
Inputs
Clinical setting context, patient population characteristics, available IT infrastructure, stakeholder engagement (patients, HCPs), existing data collection practices
Outputs
Standardized ePROM data collection system integrated into clinical workflows, improved patient-clinician communication, structured patient feedback for care improvement
How it works
Developed within the H2O project, this 10-step implementation framework supports the standardized collection of ePROMs in clinical settings across diseases (diabetes, IBD, cancer) and countries (Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Spain). It emerged from thematic analysis of implementation challenges and solutions, validated through member checking, Patient Advisory Board input, and expert triangulation. The framework addresses organizational, technical, and cultural barriers, with adaptability for different contexts and scalability to population-level systems.
- Project
- H2O
- Funding
- IMI
- Project status
- Ongoing
- HTA domains
- Clinical Effectiveness, Organisational aspects, Patient and Social Aspects
- Assumptions
- Healthcare settings have some capacity for digital data collection; stakeholders are willing to engage; there is interest in incorporating patient-reported data into care and decision-making
- Strengths
- Developed through multinational, multidisciplinary collaboration; validated with patient and expert input; adaptable to different diseases and healthcare systems; addresses both technical and cultural implementation barriers
- Limitations
- Requires existing digital infrastructure; success depends on local stakeholder buy-in; may need customization for low-resource settings; not all steps may be equally applicable across specialties
- Also known as
- H2O 10-step ePROM implementation framework, 10-step ePROM implementation guide, H2O patient-reported outcomes implementation guide
Questions this answers
- › How can patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) be systematically collected in routine clinical practice?
- › What are the key organizational and technical barriers to ePROM implementation?
- › How can ePROM data be integrated into existing clinical workflows?
- › What role do patients and healthcare providers play in successful ePROM adoption?
- › How can ePROM systems be scaled across different diseases and healthcare settings?
- › What steps ensure sustainable and standardized ePROM data collection?
References & sources
Related methods
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