18 February 2021


Dr James Galloway looks back at what's happened since the launch of our ePROMs platform.


Remarkably, it's been six months since the launch of ePROMs. The project started in the midst of the first wave of the pandemic, and it feels like so much has happened since then.


Rheumatology services have been radically reshaped by COVID-19; there's still a lot to learn about which changes we'll keep, and which aspects we'll want to revert back to the old. Each team will undoubtedly have to carve its own path. Locals services need to support their own population, and needs will vary across regions.


However, it seems very likely that more of our work will be conducted remotely, with telephone or video consultations clearly being suited to some of our patients. In parallel, we're slowly navigating the practicalities of collecting more patient-reported outcome data.


ePROMs has provided a mechanism by which clinicians can collect longitudinal information on disease symptoms across the breadth of rheumatic diseases. The platform is open to all NHS workers who see rheumatology patients, free of charge and useable for any rheumatology diagnosis. Uptake is broad, with centres in all regions of the UK starting to make use of the system.


We're approaching 500 patients using ePROMs; the numbers continue to rise steadily. We're continually gathering feedback from both clinicians and patients, and in the coming months plan to upgrade the system to help address some of this. We know there are limitations, in particular the inability for patients to see their own results, but bear with us, we're working on solutions behind the scenes...


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