A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Self-symptoms Monitoring with Patient Reported Outcome Measures in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases Patients

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to provide an up-to-date synthesis of the effectiveness of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) use to self-monitor symptoms compared to conventional follow-up care in patients with rheumatic diseases. We also compared the effect of providing feedback via PROMs to a control group in which PROMs feedback was not provided. Methods: This review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles published before October 2023 were retrieved from PubMed[Formula: see text], Cochrane Library[Formula: see text], Embase[Formula: see text], and PsycINFO[Formula: see text](Ovid). Studies were included if (1) they compared PROMs use compared against not using PROMs, (2) used PROMs as an intervention with feedback provided to healthcare professionals/patients to compare against PROMs use but no feedback was provided. Methodological quality and level of evidence were evaluated according to the Risk of Bias tool and the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions tool. Results: A total of 15, 571 articles were screened, 5 articles met the inclusion criteria, and 3 additional articles were identified from handsearching. Most studies reported positive results on symptom control, health-related quality of life, patient perception, shared decision making, and a reduction in clinic visits. No studies reported on survival/mortality. In general, we found conflicting evidence regarding whether feedback from physicians improved patient satisfaction in clinical care. Conclusion: We identified 8 articles through a systematic review and synthesised evidence on their effectiveness. There is a lack of studies comparing PROMs use to conventional care in rheumatic diseases. Future studies should explore the implications of using PROMs in clinical care.