Establishing Age-calibrated Normative PROMIS Scores for Hand and Upper Extremity Clinic

The purpose of our study is to investigate differences in normative PROMIS upper extremity function (PROMIS-UE), physical function (PROMIS-PF), and pain interference (PROMIS-PI) scores across age cohorts in individuals without upper extremity disability.

Individuals without upper extremity disability were prospectively enrolled. Subjects were administered PROMIS-UE, PROMIS-PF, and PROMIS-PI forms. Retrospective PROMIS data for eligible subjects were also utilized. The enrolled cohort was divided into age groups: 20-39, 40-59, and 60-79 years old. ANOVA, ceiling and floor effect analysis, and kurtosis and skewness statistics were performed to assess PROMIS scores trends with age.

This study included 346 individuals. In the 20-39 age group, mean PROMIS scores were 56.2 ± 6.1, 59.8 ± 6.9, and 43.1 ± 6.7 for PROMIS-UE, PROMIS-PF, and PROMIS-PI, respectively. In the "40-59" age group, mean PROMIS computer adaptive test scores were 53.3 ± 7.5, 55.3 ± 7.6, and 46.6 ± 7.8 for PROMIS-UE, PROMIS-PF, and PROMIS-PI, respectively. In the 60-79 age group, mean PROMIS scores were 48.4 ± 7.6, 48.5 ± 5.6, and 48.7 ± 6.9 for PROMIS-UE, PROMIS-PF, and PROMIS-PI, respectively. Differences in mean PROMIS scores were significant across all PROMIS domains and age cohorts (P < 0.001).

Younger individuals without hand or upper extremity disability show higher normative PROMIS-UE and PROMIS-PF scores and lower PROMIS-PI scores, indicating greater function and less pain than older counterparts. A universal reference PROMIS score of 50 appears suboptimal for clinical assessment and decision-making in the hand and upper extremity clinic.