Development and validation of a German version of Obstetric Quality of Recovery-10 (ObsQoR-10-German)

Obstetric Quality of Recovery-10 (ObsQoR-10) has been shown to be a valid measure for quality of inpatient postpartum recovery and is a core outcome set measure for enhanced recovery after cesarean delivery. The aim of this study was to translate and validate a German version of ObsQoR-10 (ObsQoR-10-German).

This multicenter prospective observational study was conducted at two Austrian university hospitals (Innsbruck, Graz). A total of 200 German-speaking patients after spontaneous vaginal (n=100) or elective cesarean delivery (n=100) were asked to complete ObsQoR-10-German alongside EQ-5D-3L and GHVAS questionnaires 24 ± 6 hours after delivery, with a subset (n=54) repeating the questionnaires at 25 hours postpartum.

The 24 hours scores were significantly higher in women who delivered vaginally (82.7 ± 13.0 vs. 70.0 ± 16.5, P <0.001). Pain was by far the worst performing item in both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. ObsQoR-10-German showed significant negative correlation with the EQ-5D-3L (ρ=-0.710, P <0.001) and significant positive correlation with GHVAS score (ρ=0.640, P <0.001) at 24 hours after delivery. Internal consistency of ObsQoR-10 was good, as shown by Cronbach's alpha of 0.814 for all patients.

ObsQoR-10-German is a valid, reliable and clinically feasible patient reported outcome measure for assessing inpatient quality of recovery in German-speaking women after elective cesarean and vaginal delivery. Further research should address its applicability in identifying factors for optimization, thereby improving patient experience and enhancing recovery.