Walking the Talk: "Reflexivity" to Advance Integration of Patient Reported Outcomes for Cancer Care Screening.

Abstract

In this commentary, we propose the use of video-reflexive ethnography (VRE) as a means to support integration of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in cancer care screening. As for any policy or intervention, the optimization of PROs depends on moving beyond their mere formal introduction, and depends on the integration of PROs in the everyday practice contexts of health care professionals (HPEs). The use of VRE allows for video-playback sessions among oncology professionals to support team-based learning and practice-change grounded in "reflexivity." Through a review of previous methods used to support organizational change in healthcare settings (e.g., policies, quality improvement initiatives, simulation sessions), we present some unsung advantages of VRE that can be applied to a complex integrated setting, such as cancer care. As opposed to other methods to create change, VRE does not dictate new measures, but rather supports "bottom-up" provider-initiated changes to health care practices and contexts, grounded in collaborative day-to-day practice. We argue that VRE optimizes PROs in cancer care by facilitating their effective and sustainable integration, to promote improved patient care.