Proposing policy change for the nationwide collection of electronic musculoskeletal (MSK) Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs)
Patient Reported Outcome Measures or PROMs are defined as “any measure of an individual’s self-reported health status, health-related quality of life or well-being which can be used to monitor and evaluate health and social care services or public health activities”.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends musculoskeletal (MSK) PROMs collection.
NHS England became the first health system in the world to introduce routine PROMs collection in 2009 when the Department of Health mandated the coordinated national collection of PROMs for hip and knee replacement elective surgical procedures.
The 2017 National PROMs Programme consultation reported PROMs collection was predominately paper-based and establishing routine MSK PROMs data capture in a standardised, consistent, and sustainable way was needed.
Publicly reported data in community and primary care MSK services are still lacking alongside a shortage of guidance on which metrics to collect and report.
The current electronic revolution allows us to examine a significant proportion of data from NHS but does not allow PROMs collection from MSK systems.
The best standard is to combine consistent, standardised PROMs alongside functional and big data, with agreement on how to use this data to directly improve patient outcomes, experiences and values.
I am fortunate to have been selected as one of five members of the University of Nottingham’s Institue for Policy and Engagement 2023 ‘Policy and Impact Pathways Programme’.
As part of this programme, I will receive training on engaging with policymakers but also develop advocacy tools and policy briefs to change policy for the nationwide collection of electronic MSK PROMs.
A standardised nationwide collection of PROMs and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) for MSK conditions is essential to prevent ill health, providing information to identify those at a greater risk for developing MSK conditions; assess and monitor patient health; tailor treatment plans to address health and medical needs; evidence efficacy, efficiency, and value of healthcare performance; and to inform research priorities.
We will be holding a round table discussion with key stakeholders in September 2023 in order to create a policy brief to support our recommendations.
If you are a healthcare professional, healthcare manager, patient, electronic PROMs service provider, researcher or other stakeholder with an interest in advocating for nationwide electronic Musculoskeletal Patient Report Outcome Measure collection and are interested in attending the Roundtable discussion in Nottingham this September please contact me via the contact form to the right or via the email address at the foot of the page.
Register your interest in attending the PROMS roundtable discussion in September 2023
Written Evidence
We submitted to the Health and Social Care Committee’s recent Prevention Call to propose an inquiry into the nationwide collection of electronic musculoskeletal (MSK) Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs).