Introducing Patient Reported Measures (PRMs) Into Finnish Public Maternity Service: A Study on Professionals’ Views

Abstract

Background: The importance and potential benefits of introducing patient reported measures (PRMs) into health care service have been widely acknowledged, yet the experience regarding their implementation into practice is limited. There is a considerable paucity of research in adopting PRMs in maternity care. This study, which utilizes the PRMs included in Pregnancy and Childbirth (PCB) outcome set developed by International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) as sample measures, aims to elicit Finnish professionals’ views on PRMs and to explore the applicability of PRMs in Finnish public maternity care. Methods: This qualitative study, applying semi-structured interviews, is designed to describe the local professionals’ views towards the application of PRMs in Finnish public maternity care. Professionals were asked to assess the PRMs defined in ICHOM PCB set and provide their expectations and concerns on the implementation of PRMs in Finnish public maternity service. Results: Twenty professionals participated in the interviews. Participants agreed on the importance and relevance of the PRMs questions included in ICHOM PCB set for delivering and developing maternity care in Finland. However, they criticized the number and length of questions as well as the recommended time points of data collection. In addition, for a successful implementation, various steps like developing suitable questions, redesigning service pathway and protocols, and motivating patients were considered to be important. Also, some potential obstacles, difficulties and risks associated with the implementation were underlined. Conclusion: This study indicates that the implementation of PRMs into Finnish public maternity service is possible, highly relevant and important. However, the adoption of PRMs into routine practice may be challenging and will require a series of efforts. This study shows viewpoints from Finnish professionals who have not participated in developing the ICHOM PCB standard set and provides important insights on the development and implementation of PRMs.

Patient-Reported Outcome and Experience Measures in Perinatal Care to Guide Clinical Practice: Prospective Observational Study

“…Median moments of completion corresponded well with the timeline of data collection as proposed by ICHOM. In contrast to the provider expectations described by Chen et al [ 27 ], the questionnaire administered shortly after childbirth (T3) resulted in a large group of respondents in this study who completed them mostly within 2 weeks post partum. At this point, there is an excellent opportunity to improve breastfeeding outcomes and mother-child bonding.…”