Precision PROs, a method for customizing pain PROs that can be deployed and examined using standard statistical procedures, were tested by the researchers for a study.
People suffering from cancer and pain (n=231) conducted an online survey, followed by a follow-up survey (n=161) one to two weeks later. Participants went through the PROMIS pain interference item bank, selected the four things that were most relevant to their quality of life, and then completed those tasks. Kappas contrasted the options in the two surveys. Pain severity, physical function, and a conventional pain interference test were all completed by participants.
Each participant was free to choose four objects that were particularly relevant to them. Moreover, half of the sample picked only one item (life enjoyment) (50.6%). Kappas for item selection ranged from modest to almost excellent on 32 of 35 items. The majority of respondents (59%) preferred designing their own PRO questions to completing an already decided, non-patient-specific PRO. The Precision PRO scores were related to pain intensity, and physical function in the same way as the traditional pain interference measure was
Precision PRO was practicable, chosen by patients, and shown consistency in a short period of time. The technique might be utilized to make PRO evaluation more patient-centered in clinical treatment and clinical studies. More study was needed to evaluate the approach’s applicability to additional outcomes and groups.
Reference: jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(22)00416-X/fulltext
