Differential Compliance of Patient-Reported Outcomes in a Multicenter Hand and Wrist Surgery Registry in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND

Outcome registries are essential for assessing treatment effectiveness in hand and wrist surgery, in which both patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and clinician-reported outcome measures are commonly used. Consistent patient participation is essential for generating valid and generalizable data. This study investigates age- and sex-related differences in PROM compliance within a multicenter Swiss registry.

METHODS

Registry data from patients treated between 2020 and 2024 were analyzed. Patients were stratified by age (18 to 30 years, 31 to 40 years, 41 to 50 years, 51 to 60 years, 61 to 70 years, and 70 years or older) and sex. Compliance with PROM completion was evaluated at baseline and 3 and 12 months after treatment.

RESULTS

PROM compliance declined over time, with the most pronounced decrease observed in the 18 to 30 years age group (over 90% loss at 12 months). The 61 to 70 years age group showed the highest sustained compliance. Across all age categories, women demonstrated consistently higher completion rates than men.

CONCLUSIONS

Compliance with PROMs varies significantly by age and sex, leading to potential data bias in outcome registries. Younger patients and men are underrepresented at follow-up, which may compromise the validity and generalizability of registry-based findings. Targeted interventions are needed to enhance participation in these groups and improve the quality of clinical outcome data.