New self-assessment tool following shoulder stabilization surgery may predict post-operative follow-up of shoulder stabilization procedures

Written By : Dr Supreeth D R |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-08-30T20:00:30+05:30 | Updated On 30 Aug 2023 8:00 PM IST

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) are increasingly used for patient evaluation, as well as for scientific research. Few are used for practical purposes in the clinical setting, and few are reliable enough to allow proper feedback to physicians. Two of the most commonly used assessment tools in shoulder instability are the Walch–Duplay and the Rowe scores.

Omar Lazrek et al conducted a study to evaluate the validity of self-administered versions of the Walch–Duplay and Rowe scores following shoulder stabilization procedures.

Patients were required to anonymously fill a self-administered version of Walch–Duplay and Rowe score. All patients were given both questionnaires to fill upon arrival, before their clinical examination. The questionnaires were designed in order not to require any assistance to be completed. They were composed of questions with a selection of answers in checkboxes as well as instructions for self-evaluation of range of motion, paired with explanatory illustrations detailing the varying ranges per motion type.

The classic scores were measured by the surgeon. Correlations between self-assessment and physician assessment were then recorded.

Key findings of the study were:

• A total of 106 patients were evaluated during the study period.

• There were 72 (67.9%) men. Eighty-eight (83%) patients were right-handed and 55 (52.4%) patients were evaluated for their right side.

• Sixty-one patients (58%) were evaluated for their dominant side.

• Using the Spearman coefficient for correlation, a strong correlation (r>0.5) was found between the results of the self-administered questionnaire and the surgeon-measured score.

• The difference between surgeon- and patient-administered questionnaires was non-significant.

The authors concluded - “This study shows that the Walch and Rowe questionnaires can be easily converted to self-administered questionnaires without losing the quality of the original index. A high correlation between surgeon- and patient-administered questionnaires was observed, along with non-significant differences between overall scores.”

Level of evidence: Level II.

MBBS, Dip. Ortho, DNB ortho, MNAMS

Dr Supreeth D R (MBBS, Dip. Ortho, DNB ortho, MNAMS) is a practicing orthopedician with interest in medical research and publishing articles. He completed MBBS from mysore medical college, dip ortho from Trivandrum medical college and sec. DNB from Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru. He has expirence of 7years in the field of orthopedics. He has presented scientific papers & posters in various state, national and international conferences. His interest in writing articles lead the way to join medical dialogues. He can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751