Enhance post-operative care through Clinical Outcome’s portfolio of assessment tools

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13th May 2024

Post-operative care is a critical phase in the journey towards healing and restored health following a surgical procedure. It's a period where patients require close monitoring and support to ensure a smooth recovery process. While medical interventions are crucial during surgery, the care provided afterward plays an equally significant role in determining the overall outcome.

As highlighted by NICE’s evidence review for perioperative care in adults, most complications and factors relating to poor outcomes occur during the post-operative phase of surgery. In cases where it’s feasible to record the patients’ or clinicians’ thoughts and feelings regarding a surgery, the Clinical Outcomes team at Oxford University Innovation offers an array of validated Clinical Outcome Assessments that are designed to harness their voice and assess various aspects of post-operative recovery. These tools have been adopted in hospitals, rehabilitation centres, and research institutions worldwide to assess and improve post-operative care; as well as benchmarking and contrasting established interventions or pathways with new techniques.

1.       Post Operative Recovery Scale – PostopQRS™

The Postoperative Quality of Recovery Scale is a multi-lingual measurement tool (certified as a Class 1 Medical Device in the UK and EU) and used to assess quality of patient recovery over time following all forms of surgery and/or anaesthesia. It assesses physiologic, nociceptive, functional, cognitive and emotional recovery + overall patient perspectives during their recovery. It is administered prior to elective surgery and performed as many times as the HCPs needs and if required, after discharge to the map quality of patient recovery and to garner any insights regarding better patient outcomes to reducing potential patient readmissions. The tool is standardised for telephone/video call follow-ups and can be administered via conventional paper/pen and is also readily available as a digital platform.

2.       Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire

The Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire is a single measure designed to assess surgical site infection (SSI) in close primary wounds and captures symptoms and wound care interventions indicative of SSI. The tool is completed by patients (using the PRO version) or healthcare professionals (using the ClinRO version) during a period of up to 30 days after discharge from hospital.

3.       OUI’s Orthopaedic Scores

OUI’s Orthopaedic Scores encompass a suite of assessment tools tailored to evaluate pre- and post-operative domains, including pain and the function, across various joints. This comprehensive portfolio includes scores that assess surgeries and interventions for the knee, hip, elbow, shoulder, foot/ankle, and generic musculoskeletal problems. These standardised assessments provide clinicians with valuable metrics to gauge patients’ recovery progress, identify areas of concern, and tailor rehabilitation strategies to optimise outcomes.

4.       Oxford Arthroplasty Early Recovery & Change Scores

These measurement tools assess change, recovery pathways and interventions in the first six weeks following lower limb surgery. Domains of assessment cover pain, sleep, nausea and feeling unwell and mobility. They are used as ‘acute’ perioperative measures of recovery in combination with the Oxford Hip and Knee Scores, with their longer-term recall periods.

5.       The Oxford Participation and Activities Questionnaire (OxPAQ)

The OxPAQ is a generic PRO measure that is used to assess participation and activity in patients experiencing a range of conditions post-surgery. Specific domains that the OxPAQ measures are Routine Activities, Emotional Well-Being and Social Engagement; the instrument is grounded on the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and fully compliant with current best practice guidelines, such as those published by the FDA.

These Clinical Outcome Assessment serve as valuable communication tools between patients and healthcare teams. By integrating these assessments into care protocols, healthcare providers can enhance monitoring, foster patient engagement, and drive continuous improvement in post-operative care delivery.

For further information and Licensing enquiries, please do contact us via email at healthoutcomes@innovation.ox.ac.uk

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