2045P - Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) capturing therapy adherence of cancer patients: A systematic literature review

Background

The success of cancer therapy relies on patient adherence, which refers to the extent to which a person's behaviour - taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes, corresponds with agreed recommendations from a health care provider ( WHO 2003 ). Several PROMs were developed to measure patient adherence to (cancer) therapy. In light of this, our study aims to offer a comprehensive overview of PROMs in the cancer field, with a specific focus on the adherence dimensions captured.

Methods

A systematic review of systematic reviews was performed to identify studies of cancer patients that apply PROMs to measure adherence without restriction to the type of therapy. Databases of Pubmed and Embase were searched up to March 2022 and studies were selected based on predefined eligibility criteria. A qualitative synthesis was used determining measurement of adherence and dimensions of PROMs according to the WHO definition for adherence.

Results

After screening 4483 results a total of 56 literature reviews were included capturing 1064 studies that focused on cancer patients. Out of the 56 literature reviews included in our final analysis, the majority (45) focused on medication adherence, while 18 studies assessed adherence to dietary recommendations, and 13 studies examined adherence to lifestyle changes. Three studies investigated other dimensions of adherence. Data collection was primarily carried out via questionnaires and most studies applied self-developed, non-validated PROMs. PROMs mainly measured one dimension of adherence, even though the content of items were overlapping between medication, diet and lifestyle.

Conclusions

This systematic literature review provides a comprehensive overview of PROMs used to assess adherence in oncology. Our analysis highlights the predominance of studies measuring medication adherence and underscores the need for greater attention to other dimensions of adherence. Our findings can inform the choice of PROMs to monitor patients’ adherence in clinical practice and enhance health outcomes.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.