Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS)

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) are a way for you to share your experiences and concerns about your mental health with your healthcare provider. They are questionnaires that ask you about your symptoms, well-being, and quality of life.

Why are PROMs important?

PROMs can be beneficial for your care in many ways:

• They help you to track your progress over time. By completing PROMs regularly, you can see how your symptoms are changing and how you are responding to treatment.
• They help your healthcare provider to understand your experience of mental illness. PROMs can provide valuable information about your symptoms, well-being, and quality of life that may not be captured by other assessment methods.
• They help you to make informed decisions about your treatment. By understanding your progress and your treatment options, you can make informed decisions about your care.

How do PROMs support clinicians?

PROMs can also support clinicians in several ways:

• They help clinicians to monitor your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed. By reviewing your PROMs scores, clinicians can see how you are responding to treatment and make changes to your treatment plan if necessary.
• They help clinicians to communicate more effectively with you. PROMs can provide a common language for you and your clinician to discuss your care.
• They help clinicians to improve the quality of care they provide. By using PROMs, clinicians can track the effectiveness of their treatments and make changes to improve their care.

Some examples:

These are just a few examples of the many PROMs that are used in mental health care. The choice of PROM will depend on your individual needs and the specific goals of your treatment.

DIALOG scale
The DIALOG scale is a brief, reliable, and valid measure of patient-reported outcome in mental health care. The DIALOG form is very simple and it has only 11 questions. The first eight questions cover different areas of your life, and the last three are about your treatment. You may be sent the DIALOG scale to complete by yourself before sessions.

Recovering Quality of Life Scale (ReQol-10)
The ReQol-10 is a brief, self-administered questionnaire that measures quality of life in people with mental health conditions. It consists of 10 items that assess aspects of your life including your physical and psychological health, your social relationships and independence. You may be sent the ReQol-10 to complete yourself before sessions. 

Goal-Based Outcomes (GBOs)
GBOs are a person-centred approach to measuring progress in mental health care. They involve setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals that are collaboratively developed between you and your therapist. GBOs are then monitored and reviewed regularly to assess progress and make adjustments to the treatment plan as needed. You will normally complete a GBO alongside a clinician to support you in making your goals.