Reliability Testing of the Mayo Elbow Performance Score in Post-operative Patients

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Clinical Outcomes Measurement
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• The Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) is frequently used to assess outcomes following elbow surgery.
• Establishing the reliability of outcome measures is crucial for clinical research and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the intra-observer and inter-observer reliability of the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS).
• To compare the MEPS with the Oxford Elbow Score (OES) for inter-observer reliability assessment.

Main Methods:

• 42 patients who underwent elbow surgery completed the MEPS questionnaire twice, 2-3 weeks apart.
• During the second assessment, patients also completed the Oxford Elbow Score (OES).
• Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Pearson correlation coefficients (PCC) were calculated to assess agreement.

Main Results:

• The average MEPS score was consistent between the initial and second assessments (78 vs. 77).
• The ICC for MEPS scores between the two time points was 0.90, indicating substantial intra-observer reliability.
• The PCC between MEPS and OES scores was 0.87, demonstrating substantial inter-observer reliability.

Conclusions:

• The Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) exhibits strong intra-observer reliability over short intervals.
• The MEPS demonstrates strong inter-observer reliability when compared against the Oxford Elbow Score (OES).
• These findings validate the MEPS as a reliable outcome measure for elbow surgery.