Utilization and Perceptions of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and Health-Related Quality of Life in Pediatric Inpatient Physical Therapy : A Mixed-Methods Study

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are important assessments to gain the patient’s or caregiver’s perspective. Pediatric physical therapists (PTs) report barriers to using outcome measures, such as lack of time, difficulty selecting measures, and difficulty interpreting results. While professional standards recommend using PROMs, there is a paucity of evidence regarding PROM trends among acute care pediatric PTs. The purpose of this study was to describe the current use of and perceived benefits and barriers to using PROMs by pediatric PTs in the acute care setting and to explore therapists’ perceptions and experiences of the influence of PROMs, including those measuring HRQOL, on their clinical decision-making and the plan of care.