On Friday, January 11th, 2019, CCHO independently hosted a seminar called Introduction to Patient Reported Outcomes. Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) are used to evaluate the impact of health technologies, practice innovations, or changes in health policy from the patients’ perspective. The primary goal of the seminar was to provide a general introduction to Patient Reported Outcomes, discuss how to select and develop PROs for various purposes, and examine how to implement PROs in clinical trials and healthcare settings.

The seminar was led by Dr. Fatima Al Sayah, Health Outcomes Researcher at the University of Alberta School of Public Health whose work focuses on clinical outcome measurement, patient reported outcomes, and experience measures. This event sought to benefit those working in the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare delivery sector looking to learn more about PROs. Attendees included members of different pharmaceutical companies, hospital pharmacists, pharmacists, and coordinators, with a total of around 20 participants.

The seminar was intended to familiarize people with the range of PRO domains and their role in the evaluation of healthcare interventions. The role of PROs in generating Real World Evidence, given their presence within patient surveys and longitudinal observational studies, was also explained. An example about the use of PROs for assessing the impact of a medication in indicated patients was provided , followed by an extensive discussion on administration method and PRO data collection points. Participants left the seminar with an understanding of the basic concepts of PROs, an awareness of what makes PROs appropriate for specific purposes, and knowledge of the role of PROs in clinical trials and health technology assessments.