Outcomes of shoulder surgery

Abstract

It is recognized that it is no longer acceptable to present purely surgeon-reported outcomes for shoulder surgery. Globally, surgeons have recognized the discrepancy between their own perception of the outcome and that experienced by the patient. The use of shoulder outcome measures has increased in recent years, in line with an increase in the number of shoulder procedures performed. A combination of patient-reported outcome measures, surgeon outcomes and national registry data is now commonly presented to quantify any change following intervention for a symptomatic shoulder joint. However, as the shoulder is a complex entity itself, involving a number of joints and possible pathologies, it can be difficult to comprehend whether a certain measure is being used in the correct situation. With increasing demands being placed upon surgeons and their institutions to measure and publish outcomes, it is imperative that those involved maintain a good understanding of shoulder outcome measures. The aim of this article is to explain the origin of the most frequently used outcome scores, patient-reported outcome measures and national shoulder registries, what they aim to measure, their strengths and limitations and to summarize which measures are useful in describing outcomes of particular procedures.