ePRO Surveys: Improving Patient Engagement and Data Collection

ePRO Surveys: Improving Patient Engagement and Data Collection

ePRO Surveys: Improving Patient Engagement and Data Collection

If you need an affordable ePRO software application, please contact us at info@klindat.com

In the world of clinical trials and healthcare treatments, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) hold great importance.

These outcomes are based on the direct self-reporting of patients, providing valuable insights into their health status.

Traditionally, PROs were collected through pen-and-paper methods.

However, the transition to electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) has become increasingly popular due to their numerous benefits.

Advantages of ePROs over Pen-and-Paper Surveys

Research has highlighted several issues with paper-based PROs, particularly when patients are unsupervised.

Patients may provide untimely, incomplete, illegible, or inaccurate data through these traditional methods.

ePRO systems address these challenges by providing a more structured data-collection approach, resulting in improved accuracy and compliance.

By using electronic data collection, the date and time of each entry are recorded, preventing patients from skipping questions or providing out-of-range responses.

Some ePRO delivery systems even offer alarms and reminders to ensure timely responses.

These features contribute to more accurate and complete data collection.

Types of ePRO Surveys

There are three primary categories for ePRO collection methods, each with its own merits.

Healthcare providers should consider the appropriateness of each method for their patient population and intended use.

  1. Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRS)

IVRS is a telephone-based system that utilizes automated calls and touch-tone keypads for patients to record their responses.

Similar to customer care menus, IVRS offers customization options and is user-friendly for patients.

It is also scalable, making it suitable for trials with a large number of participants or multiple simultaneous trials.

  1. Screen-Based Reporting Devices

Screen-based ePROs involve electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers, or wearable medical devices.

Patients access software on these devices, answer questions, and have their responses digitally recorded.

This method can be used in the patient’s home as an electronic diary or in a supervised clinical setting.

While older screen-based methods required supplying devices to participants, the current trend is to utilize web- and app-based solutions.

This approach, known as Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD), allows patients to use their own devices, such as smartphones or tablets, for data collection.

BYOD programs are cost-efficient, convenient, and require less coaching since patients are already familiar with their devices.

However, challenges such as device compatibility, internet access, and security should be considered.

  1. SMS Text Solutions

SMS text solutions have gained popularity in recent years due to the widespread use of cell phones and texting.

With high cell phone ownership rates and the preference for text messaging as a communication method, SMS text solutions offer a convenient and accessible way to collect ePRO data.

Patients can respond to surveys via text messages, providing a seamless and efficient data collection process.

The Impact of ePROs on Healthcare

ePROs provide comprehensive measurements of a patient’s health status, encompassing physical, mental, and social well-being.

Health providers increasingly recognize the role of non-clinical factors, identified through ePROs, in overall patient health.

Social and environmental factors contribute significantly to a patient’s health, and ePROs help identify these issues, enabling proactive interventions to preserve patient well-being.

Real-time data collection through ePROs has also shown positive effects on outcomes.

In a clinical trial, cancer patients utilizing ePROs experienced a survival interval increase of five months, potentially due to prompt response and intervention by clinical staff.

ePROs have demonstrated benefits in improving chemotoxicity recognition, treatment decisions for osteoarthritis, and management of severe depression.

The Future of ePROs

Electronic data collection has become the standard in clinical settings and is increasingly utilized to track and manage patients outside of traditional healthcare settings.

While ePROs are primarily used in clinical trials, their adoption is expanding to other areas.

Regulatory bodies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have implemented app-based data collection systems like MyStudies to inform decision-making.

ePROs are also a feature in proposed healthcare models like Oncology Care First.

To fully leverage the potential of ePROs, it is crucial to turn the collected data into actionable insights.

The benefits for patients, including improved outcomes, and for healthcare providers, in terms of efficiency and quality of care, drive the continued growth of ePROs as a vital component of high-quality healthcare.

Conclusion

ePRO surveys have revolutionized the collection of patient-reported outcomes in clinical trials and healthcare treatments.

By replacing traditional pen-and-paper methods with electronic data collection, ePROs offer improved accuracy, compliance, and patient engagement.

With various collection methods such as interactive voice response systems, screen-based reporting devices, and SMS text solutions, healthcare providers can select the most suitable approach for their patients and study objectives.

As the healthcare industry continues to embrace electronic data capture, ePROs will play an increasingly essential role in enhancing patient care and advancing medical research.

If you need an affordable ePRO software application, please contact us at info@klindat.com

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