A Pilot Study of Capturing Patient Reported Outcome Measures in the Australasian Pelvic Floor Procedure Registry

Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) are increasingly being introduced in clinical registries. The Australasian Pelvic Floor Procedure Registry (APFPR) is a clinical quality registry which records information about procedures for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of capturing PROMs in women with pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) identified via the APFPR, using various modes and methods of administration.

We administered the Australian Pelvic Floor Questionnaire (APFQ) in women with PFDs prior to surgery (baseline) and 6 months post-surgery through a combination of email, postal mail, SMS and telephone. The study was carried out from July 2022 to May 2023. Results were reported descriptively, as number and proportion for PROMs response rates and data completeness, and as a mean and standard deviation (SD) for the APFQ scores.

The APFQ was administered to 140 patients at baseline and to 112 post-surgery. The baseline PROMs response rates were high (75%), but decreased to 56% at follow up. The overall APFQ completeness was ~98%. The APFQ dysfunction scores revealed a significant improvement at 6 months (mean [SD] score at baseline = 14.5 [5.7], 6 months = 11.4 [6.5], p ≤ 0.001). Significant improvement in the bladder and prolapse domains (p ≤ 0.001) were particularly observed.

The results showed an overall improvement in quality of life scores at follow up. The APFQ data completeness was high and response rates were satisfactory, suggesting that the APFQ was a suitable instrument for the APFPR.