Patient-centered outcomes are outcomes from medical care that are important to patients. The medical community/research focuses on the standard metrics related to survival and physiological outcomes (how well is the part of the body being treated?). In patient-centered outcomes research, they also focus on outcomes important to patients such as quality of life. In other words, the care experience is viewed through the eyes of patients and their support groups to ensure that their concerns are also addressed.
United States health policy
Patient-centered outcomes research was mandated by Section 6301 of the United States Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which established the private, nonprofit Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to set a national agenda for identifying priorities in patient-centered outcomes research that will help healthcare providers and payers make informed decisions about how to treat patients effectively without wasteful overspending.