Use of Patient-Related Outcomes After Orthopaedic Trauma: Helpful or Not So Much?

Over 100 years ago, the orthopaedic surgeon, Ernest Codman, recommended that surgeons and hospitals be paid by the "end result." Healthcare Reform is moving to value over volume, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are 1 measure of quality and outcomes that are becoming pervasive. In this study, the current status of patient-reported outcomes and their use in orthopaedic trauma was reviewed. The contributors presented the state of PRO measurements at the Basic Science Focus Forum at the OTA Annual Meeting in 2016. Information on the currently available PROs was presented and analyzed to determine whether they were adequate for research in orthopaedic trauma. PROs were then discussed in the context of which were the most appropriate for determining outcomes in trauma surgery. The concept of mobility as a validated PRO for an assessment of general health was then presented. The final topic was a summary of how PROs will be used by insurers and governmental agencies. These topics provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of PROs in the context of orthopaedic trauma.