Patient-Reported Outcomes in Nephrolithiasis: Can We Do Better?

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• Nephrolithiasis (urinary stone disease) poses a significant global health challenge.
• Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are essential for patient-centered care in managing chronic conditions.
• Understanding PROM utilization in nephrolithiasis research is vital for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing knowledge on PROMs for urinary stone disease.
• To characterize the application of PROMs in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for nephrolithiasis.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for RCTs in nephrolithiasis (1990-2014).
• Assessment of PROM utilization within identified RCTs by two independent reviewers.
• Inclusion criteria focused on studies reporting health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and other patient-reported outcomes.

Main Results:

• Validated PROMs include symptom diaries, pain scales, and HRQOL instruments.
• HRQOL is significantly impacted in nephrolithiasis patients, influenced by factors like gender and treatment.
• Only one validated HRQOL instrument specific to nephrolithiasis exists; no disease-specific instrument for treatment outcomes.
• PROMs reporting in RCTs is variable, with few trials using validated HRQOL instruments and none using disease-specific tools.

Conclusions:

• Health-related quality of life is diminished in patients with urolithiasis, particularly near acute stone events.
• There is a lack of validated, disease-specific PROMs for nephrolithiasis, especially for assessing treatment outcomes.
• Future research, including RCTs for urolithiasis, should prioritize the development and standardized reporting of condition-specific PROMs to capture the disease's complex nature.