Globally, regulatory and health technology assessment (HTA) bodies recognise the importance of hearing from patients when products are being developed and evaluated. Patient-reported outcomes and other clinical outcome assessments are increasingly included in submissions to these bodies. Additionally, recent regulatory guidance also discusses the collection of patient preference information. This broader conceptualisation can be termed 'patient experience data' (PED). Despite this recognition, patient experience data are inconsistently included and evaluated by decision-makers. Understanding how different interest-holders approach this is essential for ensuring that patients' voices drive healthcare decisions to ultimately improve patient outcomes and health-related quality of life.

This article collection encourages submissions that consider the assessment of patient experience, such as preference, symptoms, and health-related quality of life, to inform regulatory and HTA submissions and decisions. Submissions of original research, reviews and discussion and/or response papers addressing recent regulatory and HTA developments in the field are encouraged. Other potential topics for manuscripts may include the application of artificial intelligence and digital health technology in PED research.

EQ-DAPHNIE represents a landmark endeavour in population health assessment and instrument evaluation, funded by the EuroQol Research Foundation. This initiative collected demographics, social determinants of health, as well as an extensive array of generic and symptom-specific patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) from 15 countries. This special collection will include papers that delve into a myriad of research questions, including the establishment of population norms for various PROMs, cross-country comparisons, examination of health inequalities, assessment of instrument performance within and across countries, and specialized analyses focusing on self-reported health and the efficacy of different measures within the elderly population.