Abstract
BACKGROUND: Integrating electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) into electronic health records (EHRs) can enhance the quality of patient care. However, collecting longitudinal ePRO data throughout treatment and posttreatment surveillance remains challenging in patients with breast cancer. To address this, we implemented an automated system that enables ePRO acquisition and seamless integration into the EHR. The system delivers questionnaire weblinks via a mobile messaging app, allowing patients to complete ePROs before clinic visits, with responses automatically transferred to the EHR. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess patient response rates to the ePRO system and identify key factors influencing the response rate among patients with breast cancer who received radiotherapy and postradiotherapy follow-up. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected ePRO data by using the BREAST-Q questionnaire, a validated patient-reported outcome measure for breast surgery, from patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy at our institution between May 2023 and April 2024. At a preradiotherapy or postradiotherapy visit, each patient was asked to complete the questionnaire via a weblink sent to their mobile messaging app, KakaoTalk. The questionnaire was dispatched from minutes to several days before each visit. The response rate was calculated as the percentage of patients whose responses were successfully recorded in the EHR among those who were requested to respond. A complete response (CR) was defined as completion of all required questionnaire items. CR rates were analyzed according to clinical factors using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Data from 1488 patients were analyzed, encompassing 2431 encounters (median 1, IQR 1-2 per patient). The median age of the patients was 51 (range 23-83) years, with 65.1% (n=968) patients aged 40 to 59 years. Comorbidities were present in 15% (223/1488) of the patients. The CR rate for the first, second, and third ePRO encounters was 89.9% (1338/1488), 98.3% (735/748), and 97.3% (180/185), respectively. Among first-time respondents, younger patients had a significantly higher CR rate (patients aged <60 years: 100/1104, 90.9%; patients aged ≥60 years: 334/384, 87%; P=.03). The timing of the questionnaire dispatch also affected the CR rate (P<.001). The CR rate was the highest when questionnaires were sent more than 1 hour before the visit (547/583, 93.3%) or in the afternoon of the previous day (505/545, 92.7%) and the lowest when sent 2 or more days before (100/130, 76.9%) or within 1 hour before the appointment (92/112, 81.7%). Both age (P=.006) and timing (P<.001) remained significant in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of integrating ePRO into EHR through a mobile messaging app-based system, with high patient adherence. Response rates were significantly influenced by patient age and the timing of questionnaire dispatch. These findings provide practical insight for optimizing ePRO implementation in routine oncology care.