Joanne Greenhalgh

PhD, Professor

Affiliation(s)
Professor of Applied Social Research Methodology, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds. President of International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL).

Title
Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and patient centred care: It aint what you do, it’s the way that you do it

Abstract
In this talk I will examine the relationship between the feedback of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) to clinicians and patients and patient centred care. I will briefly review what we understand by ‘patient centred care’, though this concept probably needs little introduction to the audience of this conference. I’ll then introduce PROMs, for those who may be unfamiliar with them. I will outline the ideas and assumptions about how the feedback of PROMs to clinicians and patients are intended to realise patient centred care. I’ll also consider some of counter ideas and concerns about these claims and briefly consider sociological literature on power in the clinician-patient relationship. I’ll examine the empirical evidence on whether and how PROMs feedback can support patient centred care and situate the findings in the critical data studies literature and the ethics and philosophy of measurement. The moral of this presentation is that it is not whether but how PROMs are implemented and used that shapes whether and how they support patient centred care. As the saying goes, it aint (just) what you do, its (also) the way that you do it.

Bio
Joanne Greenhalgh is a Professor of Applied Social Research Methodology at the School of Sociology and Social Policy and President [or Past President from October 2023] of the International Society for Quality of Life Research. Her research has focused on exploring how the routine collection of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) improves patient care. Joanne also has expertise in realist methods and was part of the RAMESES team that developed quality and reporting standards and resources and training materials for realist evaluation.