Understanding physicians' views on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in lung cancer care: a qualitative approach

Background Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly recognised as valuable tools for personalising care pathways and improving the quality of life for patients with lung cancer. PROMs capture patients’ perceptions of symptoms and functional status, while patient-reported experience...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Abel García Abejas, João Marques Gomes, Maria Eduarda Andrade, Daniel Canelas, Maria Ana Sobral, Fábio Leite Costa, Àngels Salvador Vergès
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-07-01
Series:BMJ Open Quality
Online Access:https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/14/3/e003376.full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849411866588086272
author Abel García Abejas
João Marques Gomes
Maria Eduarda Andrade
Daniel Canelas
Maria Ana Sobral
Fábio Leite Costa
Àngels Salvador Vergès
author_facet Abel García Abejas
João Marques Gomes
Maria Eduarda Andrade
Daniel Canelas
Maria Ana Sobral
Fábio Leite Costa
Àngels Salvador Vergès
author_sort Abel García Abejas
collection DOAJ
description Background Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly recognised as valuable tools for personalising care pathways and improving the quality of life for patients with lung cancer. PROMs capture patients’ perceptions of symptoms and functional status, while patient-reported experience measures focus on how patients perceive the care process, communication, empathy and accessibility. However, integrating PROMs into clinical practice remains challenging. This study explores physicians’ perceptions of PROMs in lung cancer care, their impact and the barriers and facilitators to their implementation.Objectives This study seeks to understand physicians’ perspectives on the role of PROMs in enhancing the quality of life, dignity and autonomy of patients with lung cancer and to identify key barriers and facilitators to their integration into clinical practice.Methods 16 semistructured interviews were conducted with physicians treating patients with lung cancer. A hybrid thematic analysis was used to identify key themes and patterns in the data.Results Three main themes emerged: (1) patient-related factors, such as health literacy and emotional distress; (2) the influence of social and family environments and (3) the role of PROMs in clinical decision-making. While PROMs were valued for their potential to improve care, barriers like digital literacy and socioeconomic factors hindered their application. Specifically, the study found that while physicians valued the potential of PROMs to improve patient care, several barriers, including patients’ digital literacy and socioeconomic factors, hindered their practical application.Conclusions PROMs offer a pathway to enhance patient-centred care in lung cancer treatment. However, their successful integration requires addressing barriers such as health literacy, digital access and multidisciplinary collaboration. Future research should focus on strategies for effective PROM integration into clinical workflows and investigate methods for effectively integrating PROMs into routine clinical workflows.
format Article
id doaj-art-e0cdcb89a8a7464181ba475bbf9f2e4e
institution Kabale University
issn 2399-6641
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher BMJ Publishing Group
record_format Article
series BMJ Open Quality
spelling doaj-art-e0cdcb89a8a7464181ba475bbf9f2e4e2025-08-20T03:34:37ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Quality2399-66412025-07-0114310.1136/bmjoq-2025-003376Understanding physicians' views on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in lung cancer care: a qualitative approachAbel García Abejas0João Marques Gomes1Maria Eduarda Andrade2Daniel Canelas3Maria Ana Sobral4Fábio Leite Costa5Àngels Salvador Vergès6Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, PortugalNOVA University Lisbon NOVA School of Business and Economics, Carcavelos, PortugalUniversidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, PortugalFaculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, PortugalPalliative care, CUF, Carnaxide, PortugalFaculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, PortugalMedicine, UVic-UCC, Barcelona, SpainBackground Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly recognised as valuable tools for personalising care pathways and improving the quality of life for patients with lung cancer. PROMs capture patients’ perceptions of symptoms and functional status, while patient-reported experience measures focus on how patients perceive the care process, communication, empathy and accessibility. However, integrating PROMs into clinical practice remains challenging. This study explores physicians’ perceptions of PROMs in lung cancer care, their impact and the barriers and facilitators to their implementation.Objectives This study seeks to understand physicians’ perspectives on the role of PROMs in enhancing the quality of life, dignity and autonomy of patients with lung cancer and to identify key barriers and facilitators to their integration into clinical practice.Methods 16 semistructured interviews were conducted with physicians treating patients with lung cancer. A hybrid thematic analysis was used to identify key themes and patterns in the data.Results Three main themes emerged: (1) patient-related factors, such as health literacy and emotional distress; (2) the influence of social and family environments and (3) the role of PROMs in clinical decision-making. While PROMs were valued for their potential to improve care, barriers like digital literacy and socioeconomic factors hindered their application. Specifically, the study found that while physicians valued the potential of PROMs to improve patient care, several barriers, including patients’ digital literacy and socioeconomic factors, hindered their practical application.Conclusions PROMs offer a pathway to enhance patient-centred care in lung cancer treatment. However, their successful integration requires addressing barriers such as health literacy, digital access and multidisciplinary collaboration. Future research should focus on strategies for effective PROM integration into clinical workflows and investigate methods for effectively integrating PROMs into routine clinical workflows.https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/14/3/e003376.full
spellingShingle Abel García Abejas
João Marques Gomes
Maria Eduarda Andrade
Daniel Canelas
Maria Ana Sobral
Fábio Leite Costa
Àngels Salvador Vergès
Understanding physicians' views on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in lung cancer care: a qualitative approach
BMJ Open Quality
title Understanding physicians' views on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in lung cancer care: a qualitative approach
title_full Understanding physicians' views on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in lung cancer care: a qualitative approach
title_fullStr Understanding physicians' views on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in lung cancer care: a qualitative approach
title_full_unstemmed Understanding physicians' views on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in lung cancer care: a qualitative approach
title_short Understanding physicians' views on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in lung cancer care: a qualitative approach
title_sort understanding physicians views on patient reported outcome measures proms in lung cancer care a qualitative approach
url https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/14/3/e003376.full
work_keys_str_mv AT abelgarciaabejas understandingphysiciansviewsonpatientreportedoutcomemeasurespromsinlungcancercareaqualitativeapproach
AT joaomarquesgomes understandingphysiciansviewsonpatientreportedoutcomemeasurespromsinlungcancercareaqualitativeapproach
AT mariaeduardaandrade understandingphysiciansviewsonpatientreportedoutcomemeasurespromsinlungcancercareaqualitativeapproach
AT danielcanelas understandingphysiciansviewsonpatientreportedoutcomemeasurespromsinlungcancercareaqualitativeapproach
AT mariaanasobral understandingphysiciansviewsonpatientreportedoutcomemeasurespromsinlungcancercareaqualitativeapproach
AT fabioleitecosta understandingphysiciansviewsonpatientreportedoutcomemeasurespromsinlungcancercareaqualitativeapproach
AT angelssalvadorverges understandingphysiciansviewsonpatientreportedoutcomemeasurespromsinlungcancercareaqualitativeapproach