Do Functional Patient-reported Outcome Measures Reflect the Activities That Matter Most to Patients After Hip or Knee Arthroplasty?

Our findings showed that the relationship between the length and coverage of current PROMs is often inverse. Selecting between longer and shorter PROMs requires weighing comprehensiveness against burden, with the most efficient PROMs maximizing coverage of key activities while minimizing non-key ones. Clinicians should consider choosing PROMs to specific phases of recovery after hip or knee arthroplasty rather than relying on a single tool across all time periods. This approach can enhance the relevance of follow-up assessments and better support individualized care decisions. The wide variety of available PROMs presents selection challenges, and stakeholders, including clinicians, patients, and decision-makers, should work toward consensus on a core set of outcome measures appropriate for various stages of recovery.