Introduction of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in a Cardiac Surgery Center

Background Although patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) as an integral part of value-based healthcare have important potential for clinical issues, e.g., for shared decision-making, data are limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to report initial results when introducing PROMs in the setting of cardiac surgery. Methods Patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were included. Three questionnaires (Seattle Angina Questionnaire 7 SAQ-7, Rose Dyspnea Scale RDS, and Patient Health Questionnaire 2 PHQ-2) were either administered via iPad (in-hospital) or via a web-based tool (at home). Baseline PROMs were completed at admission. Follow-ups were conducted at 30 days, 1 year, and 2 years postoperatively. We investigated the probability of improvement using multilevel, mixed-effects, ordered logistic regression. Results Overall, 99 patients answered the questionnaires preoperatively, 84 of whom answered at least one questionnaire postoperatively. No patient died within the hospitalization. Median (IQR) length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) was 1.0 (1.0 to 2.0) days. In all dimensions of any PROMs questionnaire, OR was above 1, indicating that most patients reported improvement 1 to 2 years after surgery by at least 1 grade. In the exploratory analysis we found age ≥75 years positively associated with a significantly greater improvement of the SAQ-7 angina frequency and SAQ-7 quality of life score. Length of stay in the ICU showed no significant association with any PROMs at midterm follow-up. Conclusion In patients undergoing CABG, after a decline within 30 days postoperatively, quality of life–related outcomes improved markedly in a midterm follow-up compared with the preoperative state.