Do patient-reported outcome measures capture functioning aspects and environmental factors important to individuals with injuries or disorders of the hand?

Abstract

Study design: Qualitative study.

Introduction: Clinical outcome evaluation needs to consider the patient perspective for an in-depth understanding of functioning and disability.

Purpose of the study: To explore whether patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in the field of hand injuries or hand disorders, capture functioning aspects and environmental factors important to the patients.

Methods: We performed a qualitative study and a systematic literature review. The focus group sessions were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and the identified concepts were linked to the ICF. We searched in MEDLINE for reviews, related to injuries or disorders of the hand, reporting on PROMs. We linked the items of the identified PROMs to the ICF and compared the qualitative data with the content of the PROMs.

Results: Statements from 45 individuals who participated in eight focus groups were linked to 97 categories of the ICF. From 15 reviews included, eight PROMs were selected. The selected PROMs capture 34 of the categories retrieved from the qualitative data.

Conclusions: PROMs used in the context of hand injuries or hand disorders capture only in parts the functioning aspects important to the patients.

Keywords: Focus group; Hand conditions; Hand injuries; International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF); Patient perspective; Patient-reported outcome measures.