Implementing patient-reported outcomes in clinical decision-making within knee and hip osteoarthritis: an explorative review

Background: In the past few decades, there has been an increasing focus on the importance of patient involvement in the health care system. Patient participation executed through patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and the integration of such into clinical practice has been framed as positive for patients, care providers, and the health care system as a whole. This review aims to elucidate and discuss the current and future use of PROs in clinical practice and to identify the most common types of PRO measures (PROMs) used for patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis in different treatment settings.
Methods: The following databases were searched: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and EconLit. For inclusion in the study, studies had to cover either knee or hip osteoarthritis and report on PROs. The type of PROM, treatment setting, and study design of each included study were extracted from their respective abstracts. Additionally, the full text of studies concerning PROs as an integrated part of clinical practice was examined and information on the year of publication, study design, topic, and use of PROMs was extracted.
Results: It was found that only two pilot studies reported on the use of PROs as an integrated part of patient treatment within hip or knee osteoarthritis. In 349 studies, a total of 38 different PROMs relevant for patients with either hip or knee osteoarthritis were identified. The EQ-5D, WOMAC, and VAS questionnaires were the most commonly reported generic, disease-specific, and domain-specific PROMs, respectively. However, a large variation in the use of different PROMs both within and between surgical and nonsurgical settings was found.
Conclusion: Limited evidence on the use of PROs as an integrated part of clinical practice for patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis was found. Further research is necessary to clarify the effects on patient outcomes of using PROs in clinical practice. In addition, there is limited agreement on a joint standard for the use of PROMs both within and across the sectorial boarders. Further exploration of PROMs to generate future standardisation is suggested.