A patient reported outcome measure (PROM) is a self-reported questionnaire that is typically given to you to complete before and after a surgery or treatment.[1] It allows you to report your symptoms, your level of impairment and your health-related quality of life all from your perspective.[1]
The knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) is a PROM designed specifically for people of various knee conditions including those with ACL injuries, meniscus injuries, focal cartilage lesions, knee osteoarthritis, and many others.[2][3] It takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and assesses five of the following dimensions: pain (nine items); symptoms (seven items); activities of daily life function (17 items); sport and recreation function (five items); and knee-related quality of life (four items).[2]
Completing the KOOS provides insight into the course of your knee injury and allows you and your healthcare provider to track the effects of treatment over time.[4] For example, if you just had a total knee replacement surgery, or an ACL surgery, to help measure your recovery progress and your level of impairment at a particular point in time, you can compare your preoperative KOOS scores to your postoperative ones and can also compare your KOOS scores to others who have gone through the same injury or surgery.[5]
For more information about PROMs and the KOOS, check out our blog explaining what a PROM is and what the KOOS is.