Background Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) provide patients with avenues to report on the effects of treatment on their quality of life. Its relevance cannot be understated in bowel cancer, where treatment potentially impacts a patient’s daily life significantly. Method Bowel cancer patient volunteers were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews and focus groups until thematic data saturation. Demographic information collected. Concurrent qualitative thematic analysis using NVIVO. Ethics approval obtained. Results 15 participants recruited; 4 interviewed individually and 11 participated in focus groups. Most(80%) had a limited understanding of PROMs and its purposes, but expressed that PROMs specific to their circumstances would yield better results and motivate engagement. Themes around using PROMs to benefit patients centered around its utility in benchmarking progress and highlighting areas where support is needed, as well as its potential to improve care. This could be done through education of healthcare providers and the wider community to reduce barriers of access, particularly within a rural setting, as well as for younger patients. On the topic of improving engagement, participant opinions revolved around the motivation of obtaining tangible outcomes, optimizing timing of delivery of PROMs and leveraging relationships with healthcare teams. Conclusion Despite a limited awareness of PROMs, our participants valued its potential in promoting patient empowerment while improving outcomes. Wider adoption of PROMs has the potential to improve our understanding of the recovery timeline from a patient perspective, allowing more patient-centered follow up and timely delivery of support.