Patient-Reported Outcome and Experience Measures Administered by Dietitians in the Outpatient Setting: Systematic Review

Abstract

Understanding how patients perceive their health and the experience with the dietitian is fundamental to providing patient-centred care. The types of patient reported measures (PRMs) used by outpatient dietitians is unclear. Guidance about use of PRMs for dietitians is also lacking. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise evidence regarding the use of PRMs by dietitians in the outpatient setting and evaluate the methodological quality of studies evaluating the psychometric properties of PRMs. Eight databases were searched systematically for studies of dietitians working in the outpatient setting and administering a PRM. Forty-four studies were evaluated and described 58 different PRMs. These included direct nutrition related (n = 12 studies), clinical (n = 21 studies), and health-related quality of life PRMs (n = 24 studies); 1 study documented use of a patient-reported experience measure. A large range of PRMs are used by outpatient dietitians. Of the most common PRMs, the majority are administered in similar populations to the original validation study. Dietitians should use a combination of 3 PRMs: a generic health-related quality of life tool, an experience measure, and at least 1 clinical or direct nutrition-related measure. This will enable dietitians to fully capture the impact of their care on patients.