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Development of a standardized patient-reported clinical questionnaire for children with spinal pain
Freja Gomez Overgaard1,2,3,4, Henrik Hein Lauridsen5,6, Mads Damkjær7,8
1Medical Spinal Research Unit, Spine Centre of Southern Denmark, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Kolding, Denmark. Freja.gomez.overgaard@rsyd.dk.
Insights
A new questionnaire, MySpineData-Kids (MiRD-Kids), was developed to assess spinal pain in children. This tool provides a comprehensive patient-reported measure to improve understanding and clinical assessment for pediatric spinal pain.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Clinical Assessment Tools
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
Background:
- Spinal pain affects up to 30% of school-aged children, impacting daily life and school attendance.
- Current assessment methods rely on parental reports, limiting insight into the child's experience.
- A need exists for child-centered assessment tools in pediatric spinal pain management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and implement MySpineData-Kids (MiRD-Kids), a patient-reported questionnaire for children with spinal pain.
- To create a comprehensive tool for assessing pediatric spinal pain in a secondary care setting.
- To enhance the understanding of how spinal pain affects children aged 12-17 years.
Main Methods:
- A structured, multi-phase development process including evidence synthesis, expert consultation, and item formulation.
- Pilot testing with pediatric spinal pain patients to refine the questionnaire for clarity and relevance.
- Implementation in a Danish hospital's pediatric outpatient spine clinic.
Main Results:
- The finalized MiRD-Kids questionnaire comprises 20 items across six domains (pain, sleep, activities, trauma, concerns, treatment), aligned with the ICF framework.
- Includes sections for both children and parents/legal guardians.
- Successful implementation within a 2-month period in a clinical setting.
Conclusions:
- MiRD-Kids is the first comprehensive patient-reported outcome measure for pediatric spinal pain in outpatient settings, utilizing the ICF framework.
- Supports age-specific research and clinical assessment for children aged 12-17 years.
- Aims to mitigate the long-term consequences of pediatric spinal pain through improved assessment.
Background:
Spinal pain affects up to 30% of school-age children and can interfere with various aspects of daily life, such as school attendance, physical function, and social life. Current assessment tools often rely on parental reporting which limits our understanding of how each child is affected by their pain. This study aimed to address this gap by developing MySpineData-Kids ("MiRD-Kids"), a tailored patient-reported questionnaire focusing on children with spinal pain in secondary care (Danish hospital setting).
Methods:
The process and development of MiRD-Kids followed a structured, multi-phase approach targeted children in outpatient care. The first phase involved evidence-synthesis, expert consultations, and item formulation, resulting in the first version. The second phase involved pilot testing among pediatric spinal pain patients, leading to modifications for improved clarity and relevance. The third phase involved implementation at the Pediatric outpatient track at The Spine Centre of Southern Denmark, University Hospital of Southern Denmark.
Results:
MiRD-Kids was based on selected items from seven questionnaires, encompassing 20 items across six domains. Pilot testing with 13 pediatric patients facilitated modifications and finalized the questionnaire. The questionnaire includes sections for parents/legal guardians and six domains for children covering pain, sleep, activities, trauma, concerns, and treatment, following the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). Implementation challenges were overcome within a 2-month period, resulting in the clinical questionnaire MiRD-Kids a comprehensive tool for assessing pediatric spinal pain in hospital outpatient settings.
Conclusion:
MiRD-Kids is the first comprehensive questionnaire for children with spinal pain seen in outpatient caresetting and follows the ICF approach. It can support age-specific high-quality research and comprehensive clinical assessment of children aged 12 to 17 years, potentially, contributing to efforts aimed at mitigating the long-term consequences of spinal pain.
