Barriers and facilitators to measuring patient reported outcomes in an academic breast cancer clinic: An application of the RE-AIM framework

Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are important for patient-centered, value-based care; however, implementation into surgical practice remains limited. We aimed to demonstrate feasibility of measuring PROMs in an academic breast cancer clinic. We conducted a pilot study implementing the patient-reported outcome measure BREAST-Q among patients with Stage 0-III breast cancer at a single institution from 06/2019-03/2023 using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Barriers and facilitators were characterized. Survey completion was assessed pre-operatively and up to 12 months post-operatively. Barriers included limited time and lack of incorporation into the electronic medical record. Facilitators included utilizing trained team members and an automated workflow. Among eligible patients, 74% completed BREAST-Q at 2-weeks post-operatively and 55% at 12 months post-operatively. We describe the implementation of a PROM using the RE-AIM framework, highlighting facilitators and barriers that may assist others in collecting patient-reported outcome data. •Patient-reported outcome data were collected in a breast cancer clinic.•A number of facilitators and barriers impacted implementation.•Work remains to incorporate patient-reported outcome data into clinical care.