Researcher and physicians from several Canadian universities reported on the effectiveness of abbreviated forms of patient reported outcomes (PRO) measures to inform health professionals about patients with a comparatively severe prognosis of colorectal cancer. This identification method can prove useful in indicating to physicians which patients are likely to need more thorough follow up after treatment. The PRO parameters used in the study include fatigue, quality of life, emotional and social support.
“Future work should focus on incorporating additional, clinically relevant items, such as disease-related and treatment-related symptoms, into PRO instruments that can still be easily administered in increasingly busy oncology practices.”