A repository of Singapore validated PROMS: a scoping review

TL;DR

This study created a list of validated patient-reported outcome measures used in Singapore, highlighting which ones are suitable for specific health conditions.

Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive repository of PROMs validated in Singapore, identifying gaps in specific disease areas.

Findings

115 validated PROMs were identified from 165 studies in Singapore.

Musculoskeletal diseases had the most validated PROMs, while conditions like pneumonia lacked them.

Validity and reliability were the most commonly assessed psychometric properties.

Abstract

We aimed to conduct a scoping review to create a repository of validated Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in Singapore, listing relevant psychometric properties assessed and identifying if these PROMs are assessed for the Value Driven Care (VDC) conditions in Singapore.

This study was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Relevant articles were retrieved from PubMed®, Embase®, Scopus® and PsycINFO® with additional searches from Factiva®, and Proquest® databases published up to 19 September 2024. Selected PROMs were categorised based on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments guidelines with psychometric properties into 4 main categories, including reliability (internal consistency and measurement error), validity (content validity, criterion validity, and construct validity), responsiveness, and interpretability. We also specified if these PROMs were validated in Singapore in patients with VDC conditions.

A total of 115 locally validated PROMs from 165 studies were identified, with EuroQol 5 Dimension questionnaire and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey having the greatest number of studies. These PROMs were used across 35 different conditions, with musculoskeletal diseases being the most common area for locally validated PROMs while diseases like pneumonia, caesarean section, and hemorrhoidectomy, lack validated PROMs. Validity and reliability were the most frequently assessed measurement properties.

This scoping review established a repository of 115 PROMs validated for use in Singapore. This repository can guide clinicians and researchers in PROMS selection and in identifying conditions where further PROMs validation studies are needed to improve care.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41687-026-01005-4.

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