Patient-Reported Outcomes in Elective Cranial Neurosurgery

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Clinical Outcomes

Background:

• The utility of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in elective cranial neurosurgery is not well-established.
• Their ability to predict complication rates requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the role of PROs in assessing outcomes after elective intracranial operations.
• To compare the effectiveness of PROs with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) in identifying in-hospital morbidity.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort of 418 adult patients undergoing elective intracranial surgery was studied.
• Questionnaire-based PROs assessed subjective health, cognitive function, and functional status.
• Outcomes included in-hospital major and overall morbidity, compared with 30-day mRS scores.

Main Results:

• PROs and mRS scores (≥3) were associated with in-hospital morbidity.
• Postoperative functional status deterioration predicted major morbidity (OR 4.9) and overall morbidity (OR 5.7).
• A composite PRO score showed high sensitivity and specificity for detecting major (98%) and overall (99%) in-hospital morbidity.

Conclusions:

• PROs are valuable patient-centered tools for outcomes reporting in elective cranial neurosurgery.
• Neurosurgery-specific PROMs could enhance patient safety and outcome comparisons.