Preferred patient-rated outcome measure in patients with femoroacetabular impingement: a comparison between selected instruments

The first aim of this study was to establish which questionnaire patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) most often preferred out of a set of self-reported generic and region/joint-specific outcome measures. A second aim was to evaluate their preferred type of response scale. One hundred and sixty-two consecutive FAI patients undergoing surgery (51% females, age 32 [SD 12] years, body mass index 24 [ SD 4] kg/m2) completed five specific questionnaires [Hip Outcome Score (HOS), Oxford Hip Score (OHS), Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, self-administered Harris Hip Score and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index] and three generic questionnaires (WHO Quality of Life-BREF, EuroQoL and 12-Item Short Form Survey). In addition, the patients completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, a questionnaire on expectation, and two sports activity scales (TEGNER and UCLA). Patients were asked to indicate the questionnaires that best reflected their situation, the most difficult to complete, and had the preferred response scale. 64% indicated a joint specific questionnaire as the one that best addressed their situation, with 27 and 20% choosing the HOS and the OHS, respectively. Most patients (62%) expressed no difficulties completing the questionnaires: just 12% considered the IPAQ difficult to complete, and 6% the HOS. The preferred response scale was the adjectival scale (57%), compared with the Numeric Rating Scale (39%) and the VAS (4%). This study showed that patients with FAI consider joint-specific instruments to be most relevant to them, in particular the HOS and OHS, and generally prefer responding on an adjectival scale.