A psychometric comparison of patient-reported outcome measures used in pediatric hand therapy

Retrospective case series.

Patient-reported outcome measures are important for research and also for informing clinical practice. The Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) are commonly used in pediatric hand therapy. Both are validated in research, but no data exist regarding their relative merits for clinical practice.

This study compares the psychometric properties of the PODCI and COPM in children receiving hand therapy to examine their relative utility in clinical practice.

We assessed the psychometric properties of the PODCI and COPM in 75 children receiving hand therapy. Treatment outcomes were assessed simultaneously with the PODCI (Upper Extremity Function and Pain and Comfort scales), COPM (Performance and Satisfaction scales) at baseline and posttreatment time points. Interim scores were included for a subset of patients. Each scale was assessed for responsiveness, ceiling effect, and concurrent and discriminate validity.

All scales, except PODCI/Pain from interim to completion, were able to detect changes over the course of therapy. However, both COPM scales demonstrated greater responsiveness and less severe ceiling effects than both PODCI scales at all time points. All scales had weak concurrent validity and limited discriminate validity.

The COPM is more responsive to changes during treatment and less hindered by a ceiling effect than the PODCI. Weak concurrent validity between the PODCI and COPM suggests that they measure different things in this population.