A Meta-analysis of Outcome Rating Scales in Foot and Ankle Surgery: Is There a Valid, Reliable, and Responsive System?

Abstract

The development of a reliable, valid, and responsive rating scale would have value not only in assessing patient outcomes but also in reporting the results of clinical studies in foot and ankle surgery.

Fractures of the Distal Tibia Treated with Polyaxial Locking Plating

“…The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle score is the contemporary standard score in foot and ankle regional outcome measurement [8]. This scoring system classified the evaluated items into three major categories: pain, function, and alignment.…”

Clinical Outcome Scoring of Intra-articular Calcaneal Fractures

“…A restricted meta-analysis on outcome rating scales in general foot and ankle surgery showed forty-nine scoring systems, of which eighteen were cited more than once. 9 The AOFAS hindfoot score was also the most frequently applied. No scoring system in the current literature was identified as being reliable, valid or responsive.…”

“…8 9 Few scoring systems in foot and ankle surgery have been tested for reliability and validity after they were developed. 9 The aim of this study was first to identify widely accepted outcome scores used in intra-articular calcaneal fractures in the literature and their individual items. The reliability (internal consistency) and validity (content, construct, and criterion) of three most cited outcome scoring systems was then determined in a cohort of patients with a displaced intra-articular calcaneal fracture.…”

Tradução, adaptação cultural e validação do "American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot Scale"

“…In the past, evaluations of a certain intervention were made upon clinical and X-ray criteria. Today, there is a consensus about the need of standardized systems for assessing physical/ functional and quality of life-related aspects, allowing the comparison of the results of different treatment methods in patients with the same condition, and more reliably evaluating the effectiveness of a treatment modality (1,16) . The available specific assessment measurements are clinically sensitive, as noticed in our study, presenting a stronger ability to detect specific aspects of a disease, limited to the relevant domains to be assessed (17,18) .…”