PROMIS Physical Function Computer Adaptive Test Compared With Other Upper Extremity Outcome Measures in the Evaluation of Proximal Humerus Fractures in Patients Older Than 60 Years

Objectives:To compare the PROMIS Physical Function Computer Adaptive Test (PROMIS PF CAT) to commonly used traditional PF measures for the evaluation of patients with proximal humerus fractures.Design:Prospective.Setting:Two Level I trauma centers.Patients/Participants:Forty-seven patients older than 60 years with displaced proximal humerus fractures treated between 2006 and 2009.Intervention:Evaluation included completion of the PROMIS PF CAT, the Constant Shoulder Score, the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) and the Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment (SMFA).Main Outcome Measurement:Observed correlations among the administered PF outcome measures.Results:On average, patients responded to 86 outcome-related items for this study: 4 for the PROMIS PF CAT (range: 4-8 items), 6 for the Constant Shoulder Score, 30 for the DASH, and 46 for the SMFA. Time to complete the PROMIS PF CAT (median completion time = 98 seconds) was significantly less than that for the DASH (median completion time = 336 seconds, P < 0.001) and for the SMFA (median completion time = 482 seconds, P < 0.001). PROMIS PF CAT scores correlated statistically significantly and were of moderate-to-high magnitude with all other PF outcome measure scores administered.Conclusions:This study suggests using the PROMIS PF CAT as a sole PF outcome measure can yield an assessment of upper extremity function similar to those provided by traditional PF measures, while substantially reducing patient assessment time.