Pamela S. Hinds, PhD, RN, FAAN

A new federal requirement in oncology is the inclusion of patient-reported drug- and device-related outcomes during oncology treatment. Federal agencies want evidence of the effect of cancer treatment directly from patients — their assessment of the symptoms and adverse events experienced during treatment. The patient reports are not designed to replace the traditional reporting of symptoms and adverse events by clinicians, but this new expectation signals a striking change: Federal agencies expect our increased attention to the patient’s experience of any given treatment.