Patient Reported Outcomes: Is this the Missing Link in Patient-centered Perioperative Care?

Abstract Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), has been increasingly recognized as valuable information for delivery of optimal perioperative care to high-risk surgical patients in recent years. However, progress from clinical research on PROs has not been widely adopted in routine patient care. This review discusses the current concepts and practice status regarding PROs, and addresses the missing links from research to practice adoption to further improve patient’s experiences and clinical outcomes in perioperative care. Insufficient empirical research on appropriate PROs and its methodologies, insufficient implementation research to solve the practical issues, and insufficient data-gathering methods and experiences on ePROs were also discussed. Future research agenda should focus on evidence-supported, PRO-based symptom monitoring systems for early diagnosis and management of impending compromised clinical outcomes.