What ePRO measures
The patient is the primary source for the severity and impact of many symptoms. Wearable activity or heart rate does not replace a report of pain, nausea, fatigue or day-to-day function.
What trials tell us
In PRO-TECT, 1,191 people with metastatic cancer reported symptoms weekly and severe or worsening responses notified the care team. Overall survival did not differ, while the first emergency visit occurred later and the mean number of emergency visits was lower. These findings belong to that intervention and cannot validate every ePRO product.
Combining ePRO and wearable data
Passive trends may add context or prompt a question, but the protocol must define the data, missingness, signal rule and accountable reviewer before collection begins.