Clinical Utility of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Used for Tendon and Nerve Transfers for Tetraplegia in New Zealand

This study evaluates how useful certain questionnaires are in measuring the results of upper limb surgeries for people with tetraplegia. The questionnaires include the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), the Capabilities of Upper Extremity Questionnaire (CUE-Q), and the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI). The study looks at data from 43 individuals with tetraplegia who had upper limb surgery, dividing them into groups based on the severity of their spinal cord injury. The study found differences in priorities between the groups and identified redundancy in some questionnaire questions. The researchers suggest that when assessing outcomes, it’s important to consider the level of upper limb impairment and the individual’s sense of personal wellbeing, especially given the demands of surgery.

• 1
  The level of impairment influences patient priorities when considering upper extremity reconstructive surgery.
• 2
  Question redundancy was evident with the CUE-Q, suggesting that not all questions are relevant for individuals with tetraplegia undergoing upper extremity surgery.
• 3
  The Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) captures the possible impacts of improved upper extremity function on an individual’s perceived sense of personal wellbeing.