A Patient Reported Outcome (PROs) is a health outcome directly reported by a patient. The use of PROs in clinical research is well documented.  However, there is increasing evidence suggesting routine formal assessment of PROs in the clinical setting can lead to improved care in many ways.  Today there is growing interest and great potential in using individual PRO data to improve patient care and aggregate-level PRO data for the purpose of accountability and performance improvement of health care providers.  In 2015 the Quality Outcomes Data (QOD) Work Group was convened to investigate and evaluate data collection tools (Patient Reported Outcome Measures or PROMs) in addition to other charges.  On February 29, 2016, the AAOS Board of Directors approved the recommendations of the QOD work group including recommended list of PROMs.

The QOD work group considered the universe of PROMs and tools for collection of orthopaedic quality data using specific criteria (open access to the PROM [no cost for the instrument], patient reported outcomes only to evaluate each PROM [no surgeon entered data], multiple entry platforms [digital, paper, web], approximately 20 questions or less, clinically meaningful [responsiveness], one generic quality of the PROM, no more than three joint or disease specific PROMs, and CAT version available).  Specialty Society input was sought to refine the list of PROMs. Using the Specialty Society input the QOD work group identified a group of consensus-recommended PROMs for regional, anatomical and diagnosis specific PROMs.  The list, called instruments for Collection of Orthopaedic Quality Data is not comprehensive, as it is intended to steer data collection and reporting.  We anticipate this list could change over time.

Use the tabs at the top of the page to locate Instruments for Collection of Orthopaedic Quality Data.