Developing and testing a consensus-based core set of outcome measures for rehabilitation in musculoskeletal diseases

Rehabilitation is important for people with musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs), and evaluating the effect of rehabilitation on both an individual and group level is advocated. A consensus concerning use of outcome measures will improve collaboration between healthcare providers, and increase the possibility of conducting meta-analyses in future research. The aim of this study was to develop a consensus-based core set of outcome measures for rehabilitation in MSDs, and to test the feasibility and responsiveness of the set.

The core set was developed through a stepwise process comprising a Delphi consensus procedure, systematic literature searches, and a pilot study, including 386 patients, to test the feasibility and responsiveness of the set.

The following aspects and outcome measures were selected: pain [numeric rating scale (NRS)], fatigue (NRS), physical fitness (the 30-second Sit to Stand test), mental health (Hopkins Symptom Checklist 5), daily activities (Hannover Functional Questionnaire), goal attainment (Patient-Specific Functional Scale including motivation score for baseline assessment), quality of life (5-level EuroQol 5 Dimensions), social participation (the social participation item from COOP/WONCA) and coping (Effective Musculoskeletal Consumer Scale-17). All tested outcome measures were found to be feasible, with high completion rates and acceptable score distribution. Standard response means varied from 0.3 to 0.9.

A consensus-based core set of patient reported outcome measures is presented for evaluating rehabilitation in MSDs. The core set is feasible and responsive for use in Norway, but needs further testing in other countries.