227Several recent efforts have highlighted the importance of measuring PROs as
study outcomes. PROMIS is a system of highly reliable, precise measures of patient
reported health status for physical, mental, and social well-being. PROMIS provides
a “universal language” for evaluating health conditions, which are relevant to both
the clinicians and researchers. Use of these standardized tools to measure health
concepts helps in making comparisons across various populations, clinical prac-
tices, and research studies [ 16 ].
Patient Reported Outcomes vs. Patient Reported Outcome
Measures
PROs are directly reported by patients without involvement of the clinician and
these outcomes are measured in absolute terms. Patient reported outcome measures
(PROMs) are the tools used to measure the PROs. These tools are validated ques-
tionnaires, which evaluate the patient’s experience of symptoms, quality of care,
and health-related behaviors. Thus, PROMs are the measurement of PROs. For
example, pain severity is a PRO and pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS), a tool used to
measure pain severity, is a PROM [ 17 ].
The Signifi cance and Need for Patient Reported Outcomes
in Gout
Why Are Patient Reported Outcomes Important in Gout?
There are several key reasons why PROs are important in chronic conditions such
as gout. First, PROs help in detecting physical and/or psychological problems over-
looked in day-to-day clinical assessments [ 18 ]. In absence of PROs, detection of
these problems would likely require detailed communication between the physician
and the patient. Time constraints of clinical encounters make this challenging. In
many cases, even with availability of time during a clinic visit, these aspects of
patient suffering and impact may go unreported and undetected. Thus, PROs facili-
tate this communication [ 18 ] and as standardized measures, help in detecting the
progression of disease and also provide impact of prescribed treatment [ 18 ].
Second, physicians and patients may have different priorities regarding disease
outcomes, as goals of treatment. This is particularly important in condition such as
gout that has signifi cant impact on pain and function, and mobility and affects
middle- aged and sometimes young patients. For example, patients want physicians
9 PROMs for Gouty Arthritis