Patient Experience Information: Streamlining and Harmonizing the Collection of Patient Preference and Patient-Reported Outcomes Data

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) research is conducted to gather information on an individual’s disease or treatment experiences. Patient preference (PP) research is conducted to gather an individual’s evaluation of alternatives or choices among outcomes or other attributes. The fields of PRO and PP research have largely been kept separate, partly because the use and audience have been different; although both can influence health care choices. Recent initiatives on the generation of ‘patient experience information’ provide a regulatory framework for simultaneous consideration of PRO and PP data. This should act as an impetus for PRO and PP researchers to collaborate to generate scientifically robust information on patients’ experiences, perspectives, needs, and priorities. This article discusses the similarities between PRO and PP research and proposes a streamlined and harmonized approach from which sponsors can provide regulators (and payers, clinicians, caregivers, and patients) with information derived using psychometrically robust and interpretable PRO and PP methodologies.