An Effective Global Health PRO Measure for Pediatric Patients
PROMIS Pediatric and Parent Proxy Profile instruments are a collection of short forms containing a fixed number of items from six PROMIS domains (Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, Physical Function-Mobility, Pain Interference, Fatigue, and Peer Relationships) along with a single item on Pain Intensity.
There are three profile lengths:
- PROMIS-25 includes 4 items per domain
- PROMIS-37 includes 6 items per domain
- PROMIS-49 includes 8 items per domain
PROMIS instruments are universal rather than disease specific. The reliability and precision of the short forms within a domain are very similar.
Pediatric Self-Report versus Parent Proxy Report
Pediatric self-report is the standard for measuring outcomes among children. Parents can report on their children when the child is too young, cognitively impaired, or too ill to complete a measure. Self-report and parent proxy report scores are not equivalent. It is optimal to assess both the child and parent as their perspectives may independently relate to healthcare utilization, risk factors, or quality of care.
When choosing between the Pediatric or Proxy profiles, providers should consider the child’s understanding and capability to accurately perceive and answer the questions. If that is in doubt, a proxy profile may be substituted.
Strengths
As with all PROMIS profiles, the survey is reliable and valid. The questions are easy to understand, and many pediatric patients can answer without proxy. In cases of neurodivergence, a proxy may be required. The PROMIS-25 is short and easy to generate a raw score. The PROMIS has also been translated into multiple languages.
Considerations
The raw score is good for trending and singular patients. However, scoring tables are recommended for benchmarking purposes across a population size and age range.
Licensing
No license or approval is needed for use.
Further Resources
http://www.healthmeasures.net/score-and-interpret/interpret-scores/promis
