Survey mode influence on patient-reported outcome scores in orthopaedic surgery: telephone results may be positively biased
Authors
Hammarstedt JE, Redmond JM, Gupta A, Dunne KF, Vemula SP, Domb BG.
Purpose
To evaluate whether the method of collecting patient-reported outcomes (PROs)—in-person, online, or telephone&mdoash;affects the scores reported after orthopaedic surgery.
Methods
- Prospective study of 456 patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery for acetabular labral tears (2008–2011).
- PROs collected preoperatively in clinic; 2-year follow-up PROs collected by in-person visits (26%), online surveys (36%), or telephone interviews (38%).
- Five outcome tools assessed: mHHS, HOS-ADLS, HOS-SSS, NAHS, and visual analog scale.
Key Findings
- No significant difference in preoperative scores between groups.
- Telephone follow-up yielded significantly higher postoperative PRO scores for mHHS, HOS-ADLS, and HOS-SSS compared to in-person and online methods (p < 0.01).
Conclusion
Telephone surveys may introduce a positive bias, leading to inflated PRO scores compared to in-person or online collection methods.
What This Means for Patients
How patients report their recovery may depend on how they are surveyed, with phone interviews possibly showing better outcomes. This should be considered when interpreting surgical success.
DOI: 10.1007/s00167-015-3802-6