Outcome measures and scoring systems are an important part of musculoskeletal research and can play an important role in the development of new treatments. This AO handbook sets out to be a quick-reference guide, summarising hundreds of commonly used outcome instruments and providing information on how they are used, whether they are patient or clinician friendly, in what population they were tested and whether or not the methodology has been tested and validated. It then attempts to give each an overall score out of ten.
The book is aimed at anyone involved in musculoskeletal/orthopaedic research or audit and anyone who regularly comes into contact with outcomes measures within these fields. It is well laid out by anatomic region in two volumes and provides concise, easily read information, much of which is in table format. The overall scoring system it uses is of questionable validity but provides a handy ‘at-a-glance’ guide to the most useful systems.
Anyone searching for the outcomes measure that best suits their research will find that this book provides valuable assistance in arriving at a decision. However, once a decision has been made, precise detail of that measuring system will have to be sought elsewhere as the nature of the book means that full specifics of individual systems are not provided. The book will also prove useful to those wishing to find out quickly about an individual outcomes measure, perhaps in order to aid critical assessment of an academic journal article. They will find the text easy to use and understand.
Overall, this is a great reference guidebook that would sit well on a library shelf in any musculoskeletal or orthopaedic institution. This fact, along with its price, means that it will be purchased by very few individual clinicians.