Selecting Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Pediatric Upper Extremity Function: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are vital for assessing pediatric upper extremity function.
• Limited guidance exists for selecting appropriate PROMs, leading to potential misuse beyond validated scopes.
• This systematic review addresses the need for evidence-based PROM selection in pediatric upper extremity care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze the content, readability, and psychometric properties of existing PROMs for pediatric upper extremity function.
• To provide clinicians with evidence to guide the selection of validated and appropriate PROMs for pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus was conducted.
• Studies evaluating psychometric properties of global upper extremity function PROMs in pediatric populations were included.
• PRISMA guidelines were followed, with data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and psychometric rating using COSMIN standards.

Main Results:

• Forty-four reports on nine PROMs were included after screening 2513 studies.
• The Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) demonstrated strong validity and responsiveness across diverse conditions.
• Specific PROMs like UE-CP-PRO (cerebral palsy), IMAL (infants), and PROMIS-UE (potential) were highlighted for particular uses.

Conclusions:

• The PODCI, UE-CP-PRO, and IMAL are recommended for specific clinical applications.
• Further validation of the PROMIS-UE computerized adaptive test and short form is encouraged as alternatives to PODCI.