[Structured assessment for orthopaedic patients - method, results, and diagnostic potential]

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic surgery
• Patient-reported outcomes
• Medical diagnostics

Context:

• A moderate to low correlation exists between patient-reported symptoms and daily limitations.
• Existing assessment methods lack standardization, hindering comparable patient data.
• A universal questionnaire is needed for consistent evaluation across diverse orthopaedic conditions.

Purpose:

• To develop and validate a universal questionnaire for orthopaedic patients.
• To assess 10 key symptoms, 12 daily life limitations, and overall well-being.
• To establish a basis for standardized, comparable patient information and differential diagnosis.

Summary:

• A validated questionnaire was implemented in routine quality control, assessing 2642 patients across various orthopaedic conditions.
• High data completeness (96.2%) was achieved. Mean symptom and daily limitation scores were 34.31 and 27.45, respectively.
• Significant correlations were found between symptom scores, daily limitation scores, and well-being (Spearman's r: 0.55-0.63). Pain on movement/walking was the predominant symptom.

Impact:

• Routine structured assessment is feasible with minimal extra effort, yielding standardized and comparable patient data.
• The questionnaire facilitates differential diagnosis by localizing symptoms and identifying combined orthopaedic pathologies.
• This tool enhances patient assessment, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning in orthopaedics.