Feasibility of integrating patient-reported outcome measures (proms) in a national inguinal hernia registry – a single-center pilot study

Abstract Aim Inguinal hernia (IH) repair is a common surgical procedure. Therefore, minor improvements have the potential to seriously impact quality of life (QoL). Improving healthcare quality and transparency can be accomplished by establishing a national registry, exposing between-hospital variation. Given the absence of the patient’s perspective in clinical data, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are crucial for displaying daily functioning and QoL. This pilot study assessed the feasibility of implementing automated PROMs in a national IH registry, without any healthcare personnel interference to minimize administrative burden. Methods A retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data was conducted in a high-volume IH clinic between January 18, 2023, until February 6, 2024. All adult patients who underwent IH surgery received automated PROMs questionnaires by email pre-operatively, 6 weeks, 3 months, 1 and 2 years postoperatively. The primary outcome was the response rate at different follow-up moments. A rate of 60% was considered sufficient. Secondary outcomes included the questionnaires’ responses about pain, return to work and exercise, patient satisfaction and recurrence. Results In total, 1291 patients were included. Response rates were: 81% pre-operatively, 45% at 6 weeks (n = 1221) and 50% at 3 months (n = 837). One and two years of follow-up are pending. Conclusion Overall, a declining response rate was observed, which impacts the data’s validity. This decrease can be attributed to the patients unawareness of the recently adopted method. Integration of PROMs into routine patient care may result in improved adherence. Strategies to optimize response rate must be incorporated to ensure successful implementation.