Patient-reported outcomes for managing moderate-to-severe pediatric atopic dermatitis: A qualitative study of provider perspectives

Summary: Abstract Body: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) capture patients’ perspectives on their symptoms, quality of life, and treatment experiences, serving as critical tools for patient-centered care. Understanding provider perceptions of PROs is essential to identifying challenges and opportunities for effective implementation. This study examined the perspectives of 11 providers, recruited from the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance’s member listserv, regarding the use of PROs to manage moderate-to-severe pediatric AD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and independently coded by two researchers using an emergent thematic framework to identify key themes, areas of consensus, and challenges. Providers emphasized the essential role of PROs, recognizing their ability to triage disease severity, generate quality improvement data, and facilitate shared decision-making. They described how PROs align perceptions of symptom progress, address the collateral impact of AD symptoms, and improve family engagement in treatment decisions. PROs were viewed as vital for assessing symptom burden and tailoring treatment plans to meet patient and family needs. However, several barriers to routine PRO use were identified: 1) the lack of PRO integration with electronic medical records (EMRs), 2) the resource-intensive process of collecting PRO data, 3) language barriers and limited health literacy impairing counseling, 4) insufficiently nuanced PRO measurement tools, and 5) discrepancies between parent and patient interpretations of symptoms. Nevertheless, providers supported advancing PRO utilization. In conclusion, these findings underscore the utility of PROs in enhancing clinical care for moderate-to-severe pediatric AD while addressing barriers to their routine use. Streamlining PRO collection, integrating PROs into EMRs, and creating patient-friendly tools that capture nuanced data are critical to overcoming these barriers. Delaney D. Ding¹, Connie Cai², Karin Kartawira³, Joy Wan³ 1. University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States. 2. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States. 3. Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Dermatology, Baltimore, MD, United States. Clinical Research: Epidemiology and Observational Research