Study evaluates usefulness of patient-reported outcome scales for ACL injury rehabilitation
Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are a key way to assess a patient’s psychological state and physical function after an injury and treatment. A recent study explored which specific PROMs patients and healthcare providers found most helpful for people recovering from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, the study found that PROMs relating to the psychological burdens of injury, as well as those relating to high-intensity sport performance were the most valuable.
Clinical Assistant Professor Charles Kenyon, MD, contributed to the study, which was led by Erich J. Petushek, PhD, of Michigan Technological University along with colleagues from a variety of institutions.
The study was done in two parts. In the first part, 27 patients and 21 healthcare providers picked the most useful PROM items from various lists. In the second part, the top-rated items were compared by 29 people at a research retreat.
The main findings were:
- Both patients and healthcare providers agreed on the most important measure in 75% of the categories in the first part of the study.
- In the second part, most people (59%) rated psychological burden as “extremely important”, followed by physical function (54%), symptoms (35%), and issues with the donor site (10%).
- Specific measures like confidence, perceived risk of getting injured again, and difficulty stopping quickly were rated as “very useful” or “extremely useful” by most people (93%, 89%, and 86% respectively).
- All categories, except issues with the donor site, were considered necessary to check treatment progress and readiness to return to sport at the six-month mark after surgery and at return to sport.
Overall, the study found that psychological burden, especially measures related to confidence and perceived risk of reinjury, were the most important and useful measures to consider. Measures related to high-intensity functions like decelerating and jumping/landing during sports were also highly rated.