Developing and Validating a Novel Generic Patient-Reported Outcome Measure - Postoperative Recovery Scale for Adult (PRSA): A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Quality of postoperative recovery is an important perioperative patient-reported outcome. However, there are limitations in the development process and content of existing scales.

Purpose: To develop and validate a universal patient-reported outcome measure, the postoperative recovery scale for adult (PRSA), to assess early and long-term postoperative recovery.

Patients and methods: The PRSA was developed through a new conceptual framework, systematic literature review, patient interview, and Delphi consultation. Then, the PRSA and the 15-item quality of recovery scale (QoR-15) were employed to evaluate the measurement properties of PRSA in 180 adult patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

Results: A 10-item PRSA scale was developed through a systematic review of 1602 literature, interviews with 138 patients, and two rounds of Delphi consultation. The correlation coefficient between the PRSA and QoR-15 ranged from 0.780 to 0.904 (P < 0.001), and the PRSA indicated great validity in distinguishing patients with complications. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PRSA were satisfactory. Besides, the time to complete the PRSA was 27.5s (95% CI: 24.5-30.0 s) shorter than QoR-15, and more patients thought that completing the PRSA was easy compared to QoR-15 (65.7% vs 57.2%, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The PRSA scale is a universal patient-reported outcome measure that can be utilized for evaluating postoperative recovery. It shows great measurement properties in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.