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The path to exceptional healthcare quality is understanding patients’ experiences and needs and the subsequent integration of these insights into clinical practice [1]. The importance of the patient voice is also reflected in the 2023 World Patient Safety Day theme: ‘Engaging patients for patient safety’. One way to understand patient experiences and needs is by using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experiences measures (PREMs). PROMs measure patients’ views of their symptoms, their functional status, and their health-related quality of life at a single point in time and are collected through short, self-completed questionnaires. This health status information indicates the outcomes or quality of care [2]. PREMs measure patients’ perception of their personal experience of receiving healthcare. These questionnaire-based instruments ask patients to report on the extent to which certain predefined processes occurred during an episode of care [3].
Globally, healthcare systems have seen multiple efforts to adopt PROMs and PREMs, but their implementation often remains localized rather than systemic. Additionally, a clear gap exists between PROMs and PREMs used in temporary research projects and those continuously utilized for quality improvement or routine care, leading to wasteful practices and missed opportunities [4]. Furthermore, current healthcare metrics, though comprehensive, often miss patient perspectives. Involving patients in regularly reporting their outcomes and experiences process establishes metric relevance and enhances data quality.