Patient-reported Outcome Measures in Pediatric Orthopaedics

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Health Services Research
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) capture health-related quality of life (HRQoL), enhancing patient perception of care, involvement, and clinical insight.
• PROMs are currently underutilized in pediatric orthopaedic practice, with a notable lack of validated condition-specific tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current use of PROMs in pediatric orthopaedics.
• To provide a resource for clinicians on selecting and implementing PROMs.
• To define key concepts and quality indicators for PROMs in this specialty.

Main Methods:

• Literature review summarizing the application and status of PROMs in pediatric orthopaedics.
• Discussion of PROM definitions, quality assessment, and selection criteria.
• Identification of gaps in current PROM availability for pediatric orthopaedic conditions.

Main Results:

• Health-related quality of life is the primary outcome measured by PROMs.
• Validity (content, construct, criterion) is crucial for high-quality PROMs.
• Generic PROMs have broad applicability, while condition-specific PROMs offer targeted insights.
• Significant underutilization and a scarcity of high-quality, condition-specific PROMs exist in pediatric orthopaedics.

Conclusions:

• Implementing PROMs can significantly benefit pediatric orthopaedic care by improving patient-centeredness and clinical decision-making.
• There is a critical need for the development and validation of condition-specific PROMs in pediatric orthopaedics.
• Clinicians should utilize available tools and protocols to aid in the selection and assessment of PROMs for their patients.