To develop an osteoarthritis (OA) quality measure that satisfies quality-reporting initiatives, a systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify and evaluate measures of pain and function commonly used to assess outcomes in patients with upper and lower extremity OA.
English-language systematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating validity of pain and function instruments in OA patients published between 1995 and 2014 were considered for inclusion. The quality of all included studies was assessed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II instrument (AGREE II).
More than 90 pain and/or functional assessment tools were evaluated within the 16 systematic reviews included in this analysis. Of the 16 systematic reviews, 6 articles had high-quality study designs; the remaining 10 reviews had moderate-quality study designs.
II.
There currently exists no OA pain and functional assessment tool capable of meeting the stringent requirements established by newer quality-reporting programs. The use of invalidated or unreliable patient-reported outcome measures may improperly estimate patient pain and functional status, which could affect treatment options, patient satisfaction, reimbursement, and/or quality of life.