Patient-Reported Outcome Measures of Quality of Life in People Affected by Diabetic Foot: A Psychometric Systematic Review

Objectives: This psychometric systematic review aimed to identify the most suitable patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of quality of life (QoL) in people affected by diabetic foot. Methods: We performed a literature search in MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and PsycINFO (EBSCOhost) databases from inception to February 1, 2022. We also searched gray literature databases. Eligible studies were full-text reports developing a QoL condition-specific PROM or assessing one or more of its measurement properties in people affected by diabetic foot. We assessed the methodological quality of included studies independently using the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments Risk of Bias checklist. The measurement properties were evaluated using specific criteria. We graded the quality of the evidence using a Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach modified by Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments. Results: Forty-three reports (46 studies) providing information on the measurement properties of 10 different PROMs were included. We did not identify any instruments that could be recommended for use. We identified 2 PROMs that were not recommended for use and 8 that were potentially recommended but would require further investigation. Of these 8 PROMs, 4 had better evidence for content validity. Conclusions: Available PROMs to measure QoL in people affected by diabetic foot have limited evidence for their measurement properties. There is no fully suitable PROM. Pending further evidence, 4 PROMs could potentially be recommended for use.

Automated summary

This study aimed to find the most suitable patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for quality of life (QoL) in people affected by diabetic foot. However, the available PROMs have limited evidence for their measurement properties, and no fully suitable PROM was identified. Four PROMs have potential for recommendation pending further investigation.