Patients’ perceptions of the usability, utility and impact of a same-day self-administered routine electronic patient-reported outcomes (PRO) assessment in HIV care in two North American clinics

We assessed patients’ perceptions of the utility and impact of a same-day self-administered tablet-based patient-reported outcomes (PRO) assessment integrated into routine HIV care in two North American clinics. People with HIV (PWH) self-administered a PRO assessment inclusive of psychosocial and behavioral topics prior to their routine care visit. Providers were given succinct summary results before seeing the patient. We conducted semi-structured 1:1 interviews after appointments assessing utility and perceived impact of PROs. We coded themes using qualitative software. PWH (n=30; mean age 48) reported PROs facilitated honest responses, improved recall, enriched communication, expanded comprehensiveness of care, and promoted self-evaluation. Several PWH reported feeling more ‘cared about’ when asked about mental health and quality of life-related needs. PWH found PROs administered before the routine care appointments were useful for prioritizing discussion topics with their providers, initiating discussion of sensitive issues, and improving comprehensiveness of/satisfaction with care.