Objectives. A lack of connection between surgeons and patients in evaluating
the outcome of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has led to the search
for the ideal patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) to evaluate
these procedures. We hypothesised that the desired psychometric properties
of the ideal outcome tool have not been uniformly addressed in studies describing
TKA PROMS. Methods. A systematic review was conducted investigating one or more facets
of patient-reported scores for measuring primary TKA outcome. Studies
were analysed by study design, subject demographics, surgical technique,
and follow-up adequacy, with the ‘gold standard’ of psychometric
properties being systematic development, validity, reliability,
and responsiveness. Results. A total of 38 articles reported outcomes from 47 different PROMS
to 85 541 subjects at 26.3 months (standard deviation 30.8) post-operatively.
Of the 38, eight developed new scores, 20 evaluated existing scores,
and ten were cross-cultural adaptation of existing scores. Only
six of 38 surveyed studies acknowledged all ‘gold standard’ psychometric
properties. The most commonly studied PROMS were the Oxford Knee
Score, New Knee Society Score, Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, and
Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Conclusions. A single, validated, reliable, and responsive PROM addressing
TKA patients’
