Abstract:

Introduction: Many questionnaires are used to assess patient-reported outcomes, but there are few studies assessing the time to complete these questionnaires. The purpose of this study was to: (1) evaluate how much time it takes to complete the most commonly used patient-reported outcome questionnaires; (2) calculate the potential variation for time of completion; and (3) assess the potential role of demographics.
Materials and Methods: After literature review, nine different questionnaires were chosen based on the frequency of citation. Each patient was given one questionnaire and time to complete was recorded. Mean times were compared and statistical analysis was performed on patients based on age ≥ 55 years, gender, and education level.
Results: The mean time of completion for each questionnaire is listed from shortest to longest: University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score, Lower Extremity Activity Scale (LEAS), Hospital for Special Surgery Score (HSS), Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), Oxford Knee Score-12 (OKS-12), Knee Society Scores (KSS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), Short Form-36 (SF-36), and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). The coefficients of variation were smallest in SF-36 and WOMAC while it was the largest in the UCLA activity score. Age of ≥ 55 years was associated with a longer time to complete the questionnaires. There was no association found between gender or education level.
Discussion: It is possible that if it takes longer to complete certain questionnaires, then the answers given may not accurately reflect the patient’s condition. Future studies should focus on the accuracy of the respondents’ answers to each questionnaire as well as the accuracy after filling out multiple questionnaires at a single patient office visit.

Authors:

Todd P. Pierce, MD, Research Fellow, Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, Randa D. K. Elmallah, MD, Research Fellow, Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, Jeffrey J. Cherian, DO, Research Fellow, Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, Julio J. Jauregui, MD, Research Fellow, Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, Michael A. Mont, MD, Director, Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland

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