Introducing new tools for assessment of parent- and child-reported outcomes in paediatric rheumatology practice: a work in progress

Abstract

It is increasingly recognised that regular assessment of parent- and child-reported outcomes (PCROs) in routine paediatric rheumatology practice may help to increase the quality of care of children with rheumatic diseases. However, most of the instruments available for assessment of PCROs have remained essentially research tools and are not routinely administered in most centres. Recently, new multidimensional questionnaires for paediatric rheumatic diseases have been devised. These tools have been specifically designed for regular administration in a busy clinical setting and have the advantage over other clinical measures of incorporating all main PCROs in a single instrument. This review describes briefly the multidimensional questionnaires developed for the assessment of PCROs in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, juvenile dermatomyositis, and juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus and discusses the rationale underlying their creation. Furthermore, it illustrates the methodology and benefits related to the use of multidimensional questionnaires in the collection of standardised quantitative data.