[Outcomes reported by the patient: a tool for respecting the patient's rights and for involvement in research.]

A patient-reported outcome (PRO) is a direct report of a patient's condition, not interpreted nor modified from a clinician. PROs are now considered the gold standard for the assessment of subjective symptoms, both in clinical practice and clinical trials. While being aware of the complexity of PROs as endpoints, the results shown over the last years by various clinical studies of the impact of this tool on the quality of life of patients, support us in encouraging a cultural and managerial change by health departments on the opportunity to allow interaction between the electronic instruments for PROs collection and the electronic medical records.