When to operate: online patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) can help decide.

We present a report on use of a web-based electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) system to support decision-making for a patient with an osteoarthritic knee. After being placed on a waiting list for knee arthroplasty, the use of preoperative PROMs allowed the patient and surgical team to review ongoing disability, and, as a result, alter the management plan by deferring surgery. Ongoing clinical review and symptom management has been centred on ePROMs and has been tailored to the specific needs of the individual. PROMs data are increasingly becoming a necessary component of outcome measurement in many surgical areas. Often, these data are available to neither patient nor clinician in a way that prospectively allows meaningful management. This case highlights how ePROMs can directly influence patient care in real time.