A systematic review of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in child and adolescent burn research
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C Griffiths1, L Armstrong-James1, P White2
1Centre for Appearance Research (CAR), University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Insights
Most patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) lack evidence for child burn care. New, validated, burns-specific PROMs are needed to accurately assess pediatric burn patient needs and treatment progress.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Burn Care
- Patient-Reported Outcome Measures
- Psychometric Validation
Background:
- Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are crucial for understanding patient needs and treatment effectiveness.
- Assessing the utility of PROMs in pediatric burn care is essential for improving patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify PROMs used in child and adolescent burn care.
- To evaluate the psychometric quality of identified PROMs.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature searches were conducted across multiple databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, etc.).
- English-language articles published between January 2001 and March 2013 were included.
- The psychometric properties of identified PROMs were rigorously assessed.
Main Results:
- 32 different PROMs were identified across 23 studies, with most being generic rather than burn-specific.
- The overall psychometric quality of the PROMs was found to be low.
- Only a limited number of generic and one burn-specific scale demonstrated relevant psychometric evidence for this population.
Conclusions:
- A significant gap exists in validated PROMs for pediatric burn patients.
- Existing PROMs frequently lack sufficient psychometric evidence for use in this population.
- Development and validation of new, burn-specific PROMs are necessary to effectively address the needs of child and adolescent burn survivors.
Introduction:
Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) can identify important information about patient needs and therapeutic progress. The aim of this review was to identify the PROMs that are being used in child and adolescent burn care and to determine the quality of such scales.
Methods:
Computerised and manual bibliographic searches of Medline, Social Sciences Index, Cinahl, Psychinfo, Psycharticles, AMED, and HAPI, were used to identify English-language articles using English-language PROMs from January 2001 to March 2013. The psychometric quality of the PROMs was assessed.
Results:
23 studies met the entry criteria and identified 32 different PROMs (31 generic, 1 burns-specific). Overall, the psychometric quality of the PROMs was low; only two generic scales (the Perceived Stigmatisation Questionnaire and the Social Comfort Scale) and only one burns-specific scale (the Children Burn Outcomes Questionnaire for children aged 5-18) had psychometric evidence relevant to this population.
Conclusions:
The majority of PROMs did not have psychometric evidence for their use with child or adolescent burn patients. To appropriately identify the needs and treatment progress of child and adolescent burn patients, new burns-specific PROMs need to be developed and validated to reflect issues that are of importance to this population.
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