Patient-reported outcome measures in total joint arthroplasty: defining the optimal collection window

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal window for collection of patientreported outcome measures (PROMs) after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Methods: Our prospectively collected institutional joint registry was queried for patients who underwent primary, unilateral TJAs. The primary outcomes were the net changes in WOMAC, SF-12 MCS, SF-12 PCS, OHS, KSCRS, and UCLA activity rating system at 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were data acquisition costs and follow-up attrition rates. Results: Eight hundred sixty-six procedures (450 total hip arthroplasties, 416 TKAs) were analyzed. A consistent plateau in all PROMs was noted by 6 months postoperativelyeexcept for SF-12 MCS which showed no significant changes at any time interval. For TKA, the percentage of overall improvement achieved by 6 months was 88. 7%, 84. 5%, 100%, and 90. 5% for the WOMAC, SF-12 PCS, UCLA, and KSCRS, respectively. For total hip arthroplasty, these values were 92. 7%, 83. 5%, 88. 0%, and 89. 8% for WOMAC, SF-12 PCS, UCLA, and OHS, respectively. There were marginal improvements from 6 to 12 months and no improvement from 12 to 24 months. Follow-up rates at 6, 12, and 24 months were 85%, 69%, and 40%, respectively. Our institutional costs for collecting a complete data set per patient were 128, 158, and 272 for 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Conclusions: Most of the improvement in PROMs after primary TJA occurs within the first 6 months. In addition, limiting PROMs collection to 6 months appears to be cost-efficient owing to increased attrition rates beyond this time interval.