Patient-reported outcome measures for pediatric patients with sport-related injuries: a systematic review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite a call to incorporate PROMs into all aspects of health care, little is known about which instruments are best-suited for a pediatric patient population with sport-related injury. The objective of this article was to perform a systematic review of the currently available evidence to determine which patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used for pediatric patients with sports-related injuries, and to identify the associated psychometric properties and considerations for clinical utility. We conducted a literature search for articles on PROMs used in the pediatric population through electronic databases and via a manual search of reference lists and authors between 1990 and 2020. Articles were grouped based off of the PROM(s) included, and considerations for clinical utility and psychometric properties were extracted from each article. Thirty-nine articles were included in this review, from which twenty-two PROMs were identified - twelve PROMs were developed specifically for the pediatric population, four were modified versions of an adult scale, and six instruments were adult measures used in a pediatric population. Of the PROMs included in this review, the Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire for Children (OxAFQ-C) and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) were the most comprehensive in their development and assessment. Several outcome measures used for pediatric patients had missing or inadequate measurement properties and considerations for clinical utility, particularly in regards to readability, responsiveness and interpretability. Clinicians and researchers should consider the measure's feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness and psychometric psychometric properties when selecting a PROM for use with the pediatric population.