Assessing the quality of patient-reported measures (PRMs) used in primary health care : development of a PRM compendium

Background: Patient-reported measures (PRMs) of outcomes and experience are an important aspect of providing high quality primary health care (PHC). PRMs provide insight to healthcare professionals, practices and primary health networks about patient experience, needs and expectations, areas of importance to patients, as well as highlight areas of achievement and gaps. There are numerous PRMs available. However, the quality of these PRMs in the context of development and validation is largely unknown and many are not readily accessible. Aim/Objectives: As part of a wider project, Quality Equity and Systems Transformation in Primary Health Care (QUEST PHC), to develop a tool for measuring high quality in Australian general practice, we aimed to assess the quality of PRMs used in PHC to provide information about their purpose, quality and accessibility. Methods: A systematic review of PRMs used in PHC in Australia and overseas within the last 10 years was conducted between July and August 2021. Of the 519 papers identified, 58 were included after screening, and information about the PRMs was extracted by three reviewers. Each PRM was assessed by two reviewers for relevance to Australian PHC. Ninety-two PRMs were finally included for critical appraisal. Development and validation papers were sourced and each PRM was assessed for quality of development, content validity and validation based on a modified COSMIN framework by five reviewers. Results: A compendium of 92 PRMs has been developed consisting of a description of each PRM, critical appraisal of its quality, a repository of the PRMs freely available and the weblinks of PRMs that require permission for access. Implications: This compendium adds to the knowledge base of PRMs used in PHC. It has the potential to inform health care professionals’ choice of PRMs to use, and enhance patient experience and outcomes through quality improvement.