Provider perceptions of the value of same-day, electronic patient-reported measures for use in clinical HIV care

ABSTRACT

Strong evidence suggests that patient-reported outcomes (PROs) aid in managing chronic conditions, reduce omissions in care, and improve patient–provider communication. However, provider acceptability of PROs and their use in clinical HIV care is not well known. We interviewed providers (n = 27) from four geographically diverse HIV and community care clinics in the US that have integrated PROs into routine HIV care, querying perceived value, challenges, and use of PRO data. Perceived benefits included the ability of PROs to identify less-observable behaviors and conditions, particularly suicidal ideation, depression, and substance use; usefulness in agenda setting prior to a visit; and reduction of social desirability bias in patient–provider communication. Challenges included initial flow integration issues and ease of interpretation of PRO feedback. Providers value same-day, electronic patient-reported measures for use in clinical HIV care with the condition that PROs are (1) tailored to be the most clinically relevant to their population; (2) well integrated into clinic flow; and (3) easy to interpret, highlighting chief patient concerns and changes over time.

KEYWORDS:

• Patient-reported outcomes
• HIV care

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the NIH NIMH RO1 [RO1 MH084759], NIH PROMIS Roadmap [U01 AR057954], CNICS [R24 AI067039], and a grant from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) [SC14-1403-14081].