Patient-reported outcome measures for patients with hand-specific impairments—A scoping review

• Published in: Journal of hand therapy Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 594 - 603
• Main Authors: Woythal, L., Comins, J.D., Brorson, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Elsevier Inc 01-10-2021; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Bibliographic data bases; Classification; Content analysis; Content validity; Disability; Disease; Face validity; Flexor tendon; Hand; ICF; Lesions; Measuring instruments; Patients; PROM; Questionnaires; Redundancy; Rehabilitation; Tendons; Validity; Face validity; Flexor tendon; Content validity; PROM; Hand; ICF
• ISSN: 0894-1130; 1545-004X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jht.2020.08.003

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly used to provide evidence for treatment effects and to guide rehabilitation. To our knowledge, no disease-specific PROM exists for the assessment of patients with flexor tendon lesions of the hand. We believe that PROMs used to assess hand function, regardless of diagnosis, contain relevant items for patients with flexor tendon lesions of the hand.
The aim of our study was to identify and collect items from pre-existing PROMs used by clinical experts to assess the health status and function in patients with reduced hand function.
A scoping review searching for PROMs with hand-specific content was conducted to ensure face validity. As these items are assumed to have been through an evaluation process by the clinical specialists, they have the advantage and likelihood of being useful.
We searched five bibliographic databases. All PROMs with hand-specific content used to assess hand function were considered for inclusion. Questionnaires written in English, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian were included. An analysis of content redundancy was conducted, and items were grouped according to The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.
Seventy-three PROMs were included with a total of 1,582 items. The majority of the items were redundant across measurement instruments, and redundant items were consolidated, resulting in 179 nonredundant items. All nonredundant items were classified according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health components.
This review presents a collection of 179 items ensuring face validity for patients with hand-related disease/injury.
•We conducted a scoping review of PROMs containing items with hand specific content.•We present an item bank ensuring face validity.•The item bank will be used in the development of a disease-specific PROM.•The item bank can be used in the development of other new disease-specific measures.•We recommend focus group interviews in order to ensure content validity.