A qualitative inquiry of patient-reported outcomes: the case of lower urinary tract symptoms.

Background: Patient-reported outcomes are a valuable tool for assessing healthcare, particularly for symptom-based conditions that lack definitive physiological measures of treatment efficacy.

Objective: To explore the value of qualitative methods for understanding and developing patient-reported outcomes of medical care for symptom-based conditions by examining the case of lower urinary tract symptoms.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with a diverse community sample of 90 respondents who had spoken with a provider about their urinary symptoms.