The medial tibial stress syndrome score: item generation for a new patient reported outcome measure

Abstract

Ba

ckground: There is no valid and reliable instrument that
evaluates injury severity and treatment effects for medial tibial
stress syndrome (MTSS) patients.
Objective: The aim was to generate items for the MTSS score, a
new patient-reported outcome measure for patients with MTSS.
Methods: The authors consulted experts in the field of MTSS to
generate items that measure the severity of MTSS and to reach
consensus on the relevance of items for the MTSS score. This
research consisted of a pilot study and two Delphi rounds. The
Delphi approach entails the consultation of experts about a topic
for which no evidence is available during which consensus is
sought on this topic. Additionally, 20 MTSS patients appraised
the MTSS score on readability and comprehension.
Results: Nineteen experts consented to participate, 13 of whom
reached consensus. Generated items address the following
domains: ‘limitation in sporting activities’, ‘pain while performing
sporting activities’, ‘pain while performing activities of daily
living’ and ‘pain at rest’. Patients with MTSS confirmed the good
readability and comprehension of the items.
Conclusion: This study supports the importance of items in the
aforementioned domains while evaluating treatment effects in
patients with MTSS.