ABSTRACT
Patient-reported outcomes are defined as "any report of the patient's health condition that comes directly from the patient, without interpretation of the patient's response by a clinician or anyone else". Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) include validated questionnaire measures that assess the impact of disease and treatment from the perspective of the patient. PROMs are especially important in the clinical management of chronic pain conditions, because pain is a uniquely subjective phenomenon and patient self-management has an important influence on chronic pain treatment outcomes. Rheumatic diseases affect the joints and muscles. Some, like osteoarthritis (OA), damage joint cartilage and, as the cartilage wears down, the joints hurt and become harder to move. OA "flares" are painful exacerbations of inflammatory activity in the affected joints. Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder caused by deficiencies of blood clotting factors. Self-management is important in chronic illness because those affected must learn to live with and manage their condition.
