Kim McGrail, Stirling Bryan and Jennifer Davis have penned the lead article in the latest issue of Healthcare Papers where they call for more extensive use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in Canadian healthcare. Their premise is that improvement depends on information, and more specifically information about outcomes of care. Current outcomes information in Canada is limited and tends to focus on measures of failure rather than measures of success. They argue that PROMs must become part of regular data collection in the healthcare system, and offer three recommendations for action: that we begin immediately to collect PROMs in elective surgery; that we start small-scale and coordinated experiments on the implementation of PROMs in care for chronic conditions; and that we convene a pan-Canadian working group to help coordinate and organize these activities.
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