„Patient-reported outcomes“ in der onkologischen Versorgung – aktuelle Anwendungsfelder und Initiativen der Deutschen Krebsgesellschaft

Collection of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is firmly established in clinical epidemiological research, but has so far only partially been adopted in routine cancer care. This article is intended to provide an overview of the possible benefits and current use of PROs in routine cancer care in Germany.

Essential terms are defined, followed by a brief overview of current fields of application and hurdles associated with application. We then present initiatives involving the German Cancer Society (DKG) and formulate considerations for future use of PROs.

Selection of the PROs to be used depends on the specific application and goals. We roughly differentiate between two areas of application: individual support for those affected and quality assurance/development. In addition to the content-related decision to use generic or disease-specific questionnaires, the choice of mode (especially paper-based/online) is essential for concrete implementation. Individual initiatives are already using PROs on a routine basis, including those from the DKG. More extensive use is currently made difficult by costs, the need for information on the part of users, technical difficulties, and evidence gaps.

The authors advocate the use of PROs where they improve clinical care. They make a number of recommendations for research and practice, including further effectiveness studies, testing PROs for quality of care development, and the development and use of predictive models.