209596 Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System™ (PROMIS): The Science of Patient Reported Outcomes

Monday, November 9, 2009

Phil Tonkins, MS, DrPH , National Institute of Arthritis Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institues of Health, Bethesda, MD
Sandra Wearins, MS , National Institute of Arthritis Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institues of Health, Bethesda, MD
The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System™ (PROMIS) demonstrates cooperative collaboration between the federal government and academic institutions to improve public health through innovative and effective information technology and informatics applications. As a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap initiative, PROMIS™ is an innovative tool assessing health outcomes from the patient perspective. PROMIS™ combines the use of Item Response Theory (IRT) and Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) administering a flexible, automated tool measuring health outcomes. The PROMIS™ Network consists of six primary research sites and a statistical coordinating center in collaboration with NIH scientists. PROMIS™ objectives are to: 1) develop and test a large bank of items measuring patient-reported outcomes, 2) create a computerized adaptive testing system that provides efficient, psychometrically robust assessment of clinical patient-reported outcomes in various chronic diseases, and 3) create a publicly available system that could be added to and modified periodically to allow clinical researchers access to a common repository of items and the CAT system. The PROMIS™ initiative has exceeded its goals of developing item banks of disease non-specific PRO domains and making them available as short forms and CAT through the web-based PROMIS™ Assessment Center (www.nihpromis.org). The PROMIS™ consists of 6 domains measuring global health, physical function, fatigue, pain, emotional distress, and social health. PROMIS™ has 600 registered users, 161 study-specific websites created, and several studies currently accruing participants. Due to the success of the initial funding phase of PROMIS™, NIH has released four Requests for Applications to support the continued development of PROMIS™.

Learning Objectives:
1. Define and describe the Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) 2. Define and discuss Item Reponse Theory (IRT) and Computer Adaptive testing (CAT) 3. Differentiate between the use of short forms and CAT. 4. Describe the process for measuring patient reported outcomes through the use of the PROMIS Assessment Center.

Keywords: Outcome Measures, Outcomes Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a National Institutes of Health(NIH) National Institutes of Arthritis Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Health Scientist Administrator, I assist with the management, coordination, and development of this NIH Roadmap project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.