For a study, the researchers sought to learn how surgeons in 5 distinct surgical subspecialties viewed PROMs. PROMs were validated questionnaires that evaluate symptoms, function, and quality of life from the patient perspective. Despite growing evidence in the literature supporting PROMs, surgeons have been slow to adopt them. Furthermore, there was a lack of awareness of the surgeons’ perceptions of PROMs’ utility. The purpose of this research was to learn how surgeons value PROMs. Researchers did an exploratory qualitative study to learn about surgeons’ perceptions of the utility of PROMs in various subspecialties. Using convenience sampling, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 surgeons from 5 subspecialties across 3 university medical facilities. Bariatric surgery, breast oncologic surgery, orthopedic surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and rhinology were surgical subspecialties. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the interviews, which were transcribed, coded, and analyzed. According to surgeons, PROMs could have been utilized to improve clinical management, counsel patients in preoperative and postoperative settings, and elicit sensitive information from patients that would otherwise go unreported. Failure to generate usable data, implementation challenges, and inappropriate use of PROMs as a performance indicator, with worries about inadequate risk adjustment, were all hurdles to PROMs adoption. Understanding the surgeon’s perspective on PROMs was necessary for establishing an effective PROMs program. Despite the challenges, several subspecialty surgeons find PROMs useful in various circumstances, depending on the specialty and clinical context.
