OBJECTIVES: As healthcare increasingly prioritizes patient-centered care, the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to evaluate clinical practice has grown. A new area of research investigates whether PROM outcomes can inform consultations between patients and providers. However, limited evidence exists on how PROM data is presented to clinicians and patients. This study aims to understand current practices in PROM presentation in patient dashboards and explore the main challenges involved in designing these dashboards.

METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in PROM dashboard design. The focus was on dashboards that communicate patient outcomes and are intended for use by clinicians and/or patients to inform disease management decisions.

RESULTS: Six dashboards were reviewed, and eight stakeholders were interviewed. Design decisions were predominantly derived from either the stakeholders' assumptions or specific testing with the users.

1. Graphical data presentation depends on the available data type. Bar charts are preferred for single data points, while line graphs are favored for longitudinal data.
2. Stakeholders believe dashboards should be simple to minimize patient burden. This requires careful consideration of whether and when statistical measures and reference scores are helpful for patients.
3. Data presentation should support patient comprehension. Highlighting concerning scores, using color shades, visual cues, descriptive labeling, and textual explanations are used to help patients interpret the data.
4. Stakeholders feel dashboards should allow personalization, enabling patients to adapt data presentation to their preferences.

CONCLUSIONS: The study identifies key considerations in designing PROM dashboards. However, many current design decisions are based on assumptions about patients’ and clinicians’ needs, wants, and preferences which may not always align with actual user experiences. More research is needed to improve our understanding of how to present PROM data to aid user comprehension and facilitate decision-making.