Welcome to ProtX
ProTx (Patient Reported Outcomes in Transplantation) is the website of the Center for Health Research at the Department of Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital. The center was established in 2021 with the goal of enhancing the use of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in our clinical research within the department. Additionally, we aim to implement these findings into daily practice.
PRO involves patients reporting their own experiences of undergoing illness and its treatment by filling out questionnaires. These questionnaires include measurements of quality of life, health literacy, functional level, and symptoms.
The use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) has become a central tool in clinical studies. PROM in clinical research is defined as reporting on health status directly from the patient without interpretation by healthcare professionals or research staff. Understanding patients' perceptions of their own health during illness and treatment is important for the development of new and established treatment options. Norwegian authorities recommend the systematic collection of patient-reported outcome measures for quality improvement, research, and innovation.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in PROM studies and PROM researchers within the health sciences environment at the Department of Transplantation. Today, the center includes eight researchers, all with extensive expertise in transplantation and PROM research. Based on this background, the Center for Health Research at the Department of Transplantation in the Clinic for Surgery, Inflammatory Medicine, and Transplantation was established in January 2021. The center originated from the Research Group for Patient-Reported Outcomes and Health Economics, a research network for PROM research and health economics across clinics and patient groups at Oslo University Hospital (OUS).
The center's focus is to ensure that research is both patient-centered and clinically oriented. This can contribute to evidence-based practice by ensuring that research and issues reflect the needs of everyday clinical practice within the field of transplantation. The research spans a wide range; from longitudinal studies of living donors and the quality of life of kidney patients to studies testing interventions to increase health literacy among kidney transplant recipients. Our research is interdisciplinary and conducted in close collaboration with researchers within our own department and clinic. Other partners include patient representatives (LNT), the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at the University of Oslo (UiO), various PROM- and health literacy research networks in Norway, and international research communities within transplantation and PROM research.