PROMIS® stands for Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, which is a system of highly reliable, precise measures of patient–reported health status for physical, mental, and social well–being. PROMIS® tools measure what patients are able to do and how they feel by asking questions. PROMIS measures can be used as primary or secondary endpoints in clinical studies of the effectiveness of treatment, and PROMIS® tools can be used across a wide variety of chronic diseases and conditions and in the general population.
The data collected in PROMIS® provide clinicians and researchers with important patient–reported information about the effect of therapy that cannot be found in traditional clinical measures. When used with traditional clinical measures of health, PROMIS® tools allow clinicians to better understand how various treatments might affect what patients are able to do and the symptoms they experience. Not only can the reports be used to design treatment plans, but also can be used by patients and physicians to improve communication and manage chronic disease.
The uniqueness of PROMIS® lies in four key areas:
- Comparability—measures have been standardized so there are common domains and metrics across conditions, allowing for comparisons across domains and diseases.
- Reliability and Validity—all metrics for each domain have been rigorously reviewed and tested
- Flexibility—PROMIS can be administered in a variety of ways, in different forms
- Inclusiveness—PROMIS encompasses all people, regardless of literacy, language, physical function or life course.
Read about the 11 research areas--identified by the PROMIS Steering Committee--intended to generate interest in advancing the science of PROMIS among diverse researchers.
