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Updated: May 5, 2026
Author Spotlight: Exploring the Complexities of Achilles Tendon Injuries — Research and Future Directions
Published on: October 27, 2023
Risk factors for non-compliance of patient reported outcome measures following achilles tendon repair surgery
Christian B Allen1, Kevin Kirk2, Randall Marx2
1University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine, USA.
Background:
Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) are increasingly utilized in orthopaedic research and assess the patient's response to care, allow for assessment of the patient's overall health, and provide tools to promote the shared decision-making process. Our hypothesis is that risk factors for non-compliance is increasing age and increasing time after surgery.
Methods:
PROMs compliance was conducted from survey data of 90 individuals from May 2017 to July 2023 who had Achilles tendon surgery. After completion of surgical intervention, patients received electronic notification with a link to complete their own patient reported outcomes survey preoperatively, and at 3-month, 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year follow-up time points. Compliance by timepoint was calculated as the proportion of patients who completed the surveys compliantly relative to the total eligible cohort offered to participate in the survey.
Results:
The median age at time of surgery was 50 years [IQR 38 to 61], and the majority were male (60%). For every year increase in age at treatment, the odds of compliance increased by approximately 4.1% (OR = 0.96, 95% CI [1.00, 0.93], p = 0.047). Compliance with PROMs was highest at 3-months postoperative (77%). Patients who identified as "Not Hispanic or Latino" were approximately 3.22 times less likely to be non-compliant with the survey completion (OR = 0.31, 95% CI [0.97, 0.099], p = 0.046) at two years. Self-reported race, language, and sex at birth did not demonstrate statistically significant (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
Our hypothesis was rejected because within our study, younger age had the highest non-compliance with PROMs. Also, compliance did not decrease at every timepoint after surgery. Those identifying their ethnicity as "Hispanic or Latino" had the highest non-compliance with PROMs. Surgeons need to identify patients who are at risk for non-compliance to ensure those patients participate in completion of the outcome instrument.
Level Of Evidence:
lll Retrospective Cohort Study.
