Development of a Patient-Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) in Bony Facial Trauma Patients.

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Quality of Life Measurement

Background:

• Currently, no validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) specifically assess quality of life for patients with bony facial trauma.
• Existing measures do not adequately capture the unique functional and psychosocial challenges faced by this patient population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and investigate the functional and psychosocial concerns of patients with bony facial trauma.
• To develop a novel, clinically applicable patient-reported outcome measurement tool tailored to this population.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 facial trauma experts to identify key concerns.
• A preliminary PROM instrument was developed based on expert feedback.
• Cognitive debriefing interviews with 15 patients experiencing bony facial trauma refined the PROM instrument.

Main Results:

• The finalized PROM includes critical functional concerns like nasal obstruction, persistent facial numbness, vision issues, and limited jaw mobility.
• Key psychosocial concerns identified encompass difficulty with personal tasks, depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal.
• The developed PROM effectively captures relevant patient-identified issues.

Conclusions:

• A standardized approach using expert and patient input successfully created a PROM specific to bony facial trauma.
• The new PROM addresses both functional and psychosocial aspects crucial for evaluating patient well-being.
• Future multi-institutional validation with a larger patient cohort is planned to confirm the PROM's efficacy.