Applying Findings

To use PRO results to inform patient care, clinicians must be able to evaluate literature that includes PROs. Many clinicians, however, face barriers in using PRO findings, for reasons that include a lack of training in the discipline, confusion caused by the wide variety of PRO measures, and variations in how PRO findings are reported.

The paper Clinician’s Checklist for Reading and Interpreting an Article About Patient-Reported Outcomes can help clinicians who are not experts in PRO research evaluate whether PRO findings are useful for their clinical practice.

The brief checklist helps clinicians find context for critical questions, including: Were the results placed in a clinical context? Should I believe the results? And, do the results apply to my patients?