title: Patient-reported Outcome Measures in Radiotherapy: Clinical Advances and Research Opportunities in Measurement for Survivorship.
abstract: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are a useful way of recording patient perceptions of the impact of their cancer and the consequences of treatment. Understanding the impact of radiotherapy longer term requires tools that are sensitive to change but also meaningful for patients. PROMs are useful in defining symptom severity but also the burden of illness for cancer patients. Patient-reported outcomes are increasingly being seen as a way to improve practice by enhancing communication, improving symptom management as well as identifying patient care needs. This paper provides an overview of the use of PROMs in radiotherapy and considerations for tool choice, analysis and the logistics of routine data collection. Consistent assessment is essential to detect patient problems as a result of radiotherapy, but also to address emerging symptoms promptly.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK. Electronic address: s.faithfull@surrey.ac.uk.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Faithfull
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lemanska
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Processing Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D015996:Survival Rate
keywords: Multidimensional measures; PROMs; survivorship