The "forgotten joint" as the ultimate goal in joint arthroplasty: validation of a new patient-reported outcome measure

Publication

The "forgotten joint" as the ultimate goal in joint arthroplasty: validation of a new patient-reported outcome measure

Journal Paper/Review - Mar 13, 2012

Behrend Henrik, Giesinger Karlmeinrad, Giesinger Johannes, Kuster Markus S

Citation

Behrend H, Giesinger K, Giesinger J, Kuster M. The "forgotten joint" as the ultimate goal in joint arthroplasty: validation of a new patient-reported outcome measure. J Arthroplasty 2012; 27:430-436.e1.

Type

Journal Paper/Review (English)

Journal

J Arthroplasty 2012; 27

Publication Date

Mar 13, 2012

Issn Electronic

1532-8406

Pages

430-436.e1

Brief description/objective

With improving patient outcome after joint arthroplasty, new assessment tools with increased discriminatory power especially in well-performing patients are desirable. The goal of the present study was to develop and validate a new score ("Forgotten Joint Score," or FJS) introducing a new aspect of patient-reported outcome: the patient's ability to forget the artificial joint in everyday life. After a pilot study, the FJS was validated and showed high internal consistency (Cronbach α = .95). Ceiling effects were considerably lower for the FJS (9.2%) compared with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities subscales (16.7%-46.7%). Known-group comparisons proved the FJS to be highly discriminative in a validation sample of 243 patients. The FJS not only reflects differences between "good" and "bad" but also between "good," "very good," and "excellent" outcomes. This concise score is appealing for its more adequate measurement range and because it measures the new, promising concept of the "forgotten joint."