Advances in orthopaedic outcomes research.
As the field of orthopaedic surgery continues to expand in terms of indications and technologies, there has been increasing emphasis placed on validated patient-derived outcome measures in clinical orthopaedic research. As concerns mount regarding rising health care costs, declining quality, and variability in clinical practice patterns, outcome measures become important tools in assessing quality. Furthermore, outcome measures can be utilized to justify the clinical benefits of existing and new diagnostic modalities and surgical interventions. This review provides a brief overview of traditional outcomes approaches in orthopaedics followed by a discussion of the current trend toward patient-centered outcomes research and its role in the emerging field of cost-effectiveness analysis in orthopaedics.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0728, USA.
Erik J
EJ
Novak
Thomas P
TP
Vail
Kevin J
KJ
Bozic
D001178:Arthroplasty / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000191:economics; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years