"patient self-report measure"

SUMMARY

Objective: Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures are commonly used to capture patient experience with dysphagia and to evaluate treatment effectiveness. Inappropriate application can lead to distorted results in clinical studies.

INTRODUCTION

Impaired swallowing or dysphagia refers to a sensation of food or liquid being delayed or hindered in its passage from the mouth to the stomach. It is often classified anatomically as either oropharyngeal or esophageal.

METHODS

An expert librarian searched MEDLINE via the PubMed interface, the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Health and Psychosocial Instrument database in July 2015 using relevant vocabulary and key terms related to PRO measures and swallowing disorders.

RESULTS

Figure 1 describes the disposition of studies identified for the review. Of the 4950 studies identified, 37 studies provided developmental data on 34 dysphagia-related PRO measures with publication years ranging from 1987 12 to 2014 13 (Table 3 ).

DISCUSSION

PRO measures are the cornerstone to systematically collecting patient-centered data and monitoring treatment outcomes. Although there are many avenues available for testing the physical act of swallowing (e.g.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

We critically evaluated developmental properties of 34 dysphagia-related PRO measures and identified several high quality PRO measures that were rigorously developed in various disease states.

CONCLUSIONS

PRO measures are essential for systematically collecting patient-centered data and monitoring treatment outcomes in patients with dysphagia. A surge in the number of these measures has generated difficulty for clinicians and researchers in choosing the best PRO measure for their particular intent.