Patient-reported outcome measures for acute and chronic pain: current knowledge and future directions

Purpose of review During the past years, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have become of growing awareness and importance in medical research and practice. This review summarizes recent developments concerning PROs and PROMs related to pain in the acute postoperative as well as chronic settings and indicates gaps and challenges relevant for future research and clinical applications. Recent findings There are core outcome sets (COSs) of PROs and PROMs developed for specific pain conditions but patients' perception is not sufficiently considered in the development of corresponding concepts and instruments. COSs of PRO and PROMs are crucial in the field of research to enhance the comparability of results and reducing outcome reporting bias. In clinical practice PROs and PROMs are important for allocation of treatment. Concerning the development and implementation of PROs and PROMs patients' perspective should be thoroughly considered. Relating to acute as well as chronic pain there are some attempts to create COSs of PROs and PROMs but validity and reliability for both are still missing.