Why do PROs matter?

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are important because they provide information that cannot be captured through tests or scans alone. They reflect your experience and help guide decisions in both clinical care and research.

In Clinical Practice

PROs give you a way to share what you are experiencing so your care team can better understand how you are feeling (for example, your symptoms) and how your health affects your daily life (for example, how fatigue prevents you from doing the things you want to do). PROs help you and your care team work together to:

Identify and help manage problems, such as pain or fatigue.
Track progress over time so you and your care team can see what is working and adjust your treatment if needed.
Support shared decision-making by focusing on your priorities, such as managing fatigue.
Improve communication and overall satisfaction by making sure your concerns are heard by your care team.
Help your various clinicians work with one another and provide more comprehensive and holistic care.
Video still showing person using a tablet and talking with their doctor

Looking at your PRO information with your care team gives you a chance to talk about what matters to you, ask questions, and make sure your concerns are addressed. When PROs are used consistently, they can lead to better symptom control, daily functioning, and quality of life.

You can view a summary of the advantages of incorporating PROs into clinical practice by clicking here.

In Research

PROs help researchers understand how new treatments impact how patients feel, the symptoms they experience, and their everyday lives. PROs provide insight into:

Treatment tolerability — how easy or difficult it is to deal with a treatment.
Differences between treatments from the patient perspective, helping patients and care teams decide what treatment is better.
Designing better studies by including questions that reflect what patients value most, such as fatigue, the ability to work, or emotional well-being.
Informing regulatory decisions (such as by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) by showing how patients perceive the impact of treatments.

When you share your experience through research, you help shape better care for future patients.

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