The benefits and challenges of using patient-reported evaluation within a rapid evaluation to inform decision-making: providing feedback for decision-makers using a case study of Wales’ Long COVID service evaluation

Abstract Rationale Rapid evaluation is useful within the development and roll-out of a new healthcare service to identify successes and failures, which ultimately informs decision-making. The Long COVID services within Wales, which form part of the Welsh Government’s ‘Adferiad’ Programme, required a rapid evaluation. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) were used to meet the Welsh Government’s prudent and Value-Based healthcare agenda. Objectives To document the benefits and challenges of using PROMs and PREMs as part of a rapid evaluation, in the context of the Long COVID service, to provide evidence for decision-makers. Methodology A reflective discussion has been used to explore the benefits and challenges of undertaking a rapid evaluation using patient-reported data, which took place between September 2021 and December 2022. Results Facilitators included harnessing cross-organizational working, clear communication, good stakeholder engagement, rapid decision-making, and use of validated PROM and PREMs to increase rapidity of roll-out and ability to collect data at a national level. Barriers included the lack of information governance permission to collect patient identifiable data, a lack of a comparator group, inability to collect response rate information and use of multiple survey platforms. Conclusions Future rapid and standard evaluations, and research in Wales should consider harnessing and developing cross health board working, to collect patient identifiable data, response rate information and use a single data collection platform. This would enable the collection of a rich data source that could inform national programmes of work. The rapid evaluation of the Long COVID service in Wales provided a useful resource, using patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to inform decision-making, and has highlighted valuable opportunities for cross-organizational working in Wales.