The availability of common patient-reported outcome measures in hand surgery across Europe

Many European healthcare systems emphasize value-based care to improve outcomes and control costs. Assessing function and satisfaction in hand surgery relies on patient reported outcome measures. This study evaluates the use of these outcome measures across Europe, focusing on diversity and language validation. A comprehensive database search for hand-specific patient reported outcome measures assessed availability for all official languages in Europe focusing on transculturally adapted and validated versions of available questionnaires. The study identified 47 European countries with 41 unique languages. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire is the most available outcome measure, translated into 41 languages. Availability of other outcome measures varied significantly by language. Gaps in the availability of hand specific patient reported outcome measures exist across Europe. To assist in translating and validating such questionnaires, an exemplary Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials checklist is provided as supplementary material.