# Scaling and Spreading Electronic Capture of Patient-Reported Outcomes Using a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program

> **NIH AHRQ R18** · AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS · 2021 · $500,363

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in ambulatory (outpatient or 23-hour stay) surgery are particularly important
to measure because these procedures are generally elective, have low complication rates, and are performed
to improve quality of life. However, the evaluation of PROs in ambulatory surgery is infrequent and remains
isolated to a few large academic medical centers. Measuring PROs is an important yet unrealized strategy that
has the potential to improve the quality of surgical care throughout the US. This proposal aims to use the
American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) to scale the
routine, health IT-enabled capture of PROs for quality improvement nationally by leveraging the ACS NSQIP
network of hospital Collaboratives to spread its uptake. We propose the following aims: (1) to demonstrate
feasibility of widespread adoption of the routine, health IT-enabled capture of PROs from ambulatory surgical
patients to at least 30 ACS NSQIP hospitals for quality improvement; (2) to identify and understand common
(program-wide) and unique (institutional) best practices to spread the health IT-enabled PRO implementation;
and (3) to explore the potential to identify quality improvement gaps with aggregated PROs measured as part
of the scale and spread processes. To achieve Aim 1, we will utilize a web-based portal linked to the ACS
NSQIP registry to collect PROs using three validated measures that assess patients’ care experiences, quality
of life, and the impact of pain on their recovery. We will leverage the ACS NSQIP network of Collaboratives to
spread PRO implementation across ACS NSQIP hospitals in two cohorts, moving from 14 to at least 30
hospitals over the study period. During and at the end of each cohort, we will identify, understand, and
document best practices for implementation to achieve Aim 2. The PROs data collected will then be examined
to determine utility for quality improvement to achieve Aim 3. Specifically, we will determine whether
performance variation exists, and we will determine the sample sizes needed to identify reliable differences
between hospitals that may subsequently spark quality improvement projects. The Institute for Healthcare
Improvement’s Framework for Spread and Model for Improvement will be used for implementation and
evaluation. The results of this study will inform key questions: Is national implementation feasible? What
strategies will best facilitate the effective implementation of health IT-enabled capture of PROs for surgical
quality improvement? How will these strategies differ based upon the environments and contexts in which this
implementation is introduced and used? Can PROs identify quality improvement opportunities in patients
undergoing ambulatory surgery?

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10143183
- **Project number:** 5R18HS026189-03
- **Recipient organization:** AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
- **Principal Investigator:** CLIFFORD KO
- **Activity code:** R18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AHRQ
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $500,363
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10143183

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10143183, Scaling and Spreading Electronic Capture of Patient-Reported Outcomes Using a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (5R18HS026189-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10143183. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*