PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOME MEASURES: A USEFUL TOOL FOR EVALUATING OUTCOMES OF CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS PATIENTS

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that results in the progressive erosion of the cartilage lining the joints.1 It has been identified as one of the most prevalent chronic disorders affecting adults,2,3 and rates are expected to increase in the coming decades due to the increasing prevalence of obesity and the aging of the current population.2,4 In order to improve outcomes for individuals with OA, clinical interventions need to be evaluated to identify improved forms of treatment.3,5 Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are becoming an increasingly popular method to evaluate treatment outcomes using a patient�s perspective.3 While PROMs are readily available and relatively inexpensive compared to other methods of measuring outcomes, integrating the use of PROMs into an already established clinic work flow presents many challenges. If PROMs are to become an integral part of our health care delivery system to evaluate treatment outcomes and guide decisions regarding clinical interventions for OA, the barriers and challenges to collecting them must be addressed.