Patient Reported Outcome Measures used in Surgical Evaluation of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review

Objective To identify patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) used to measure adult obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)‐related quality of life in sleep surgery and analyze key psychometric properties in the original design and development of each PROM. Data Sources PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsychINFO, and CINAHL. Review Methods A systematic review was performed using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Disease‐specific instruments assessing sleep‐related quality of life that were used in sleep surgery studies and validated in patients with sleep disorders were included. The Consensus‐based Standards for the Selection of Health Status Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) criteria were used to evaluate methodological quality. Results A total of 2494 s were retrieved, and 216 underwent full‐text review. Seven PROMs assessing sleep‐related quality of life were identified. Only one (14%) PROM (SAQLI) was developed using both patient and physician input, and none were rated as “adequate” for content validity. Two PROMs utilized patients with sleep‐disordered breathing during content development and none specifically queried patients considering surgery. Six (86%) PROMs demonstrated “very good” analysis of internal consistency per COSMIN criteria, and six (86%) included data on test–retest reliability. Conclusion Several PROMs are utilized in sleep‐related quality‐of‐life assessments for patients treated with OSA surgery. The measurement properties of these PROMs are of variable quality, and notably, no PROMs meet adequate quality measurements for content validity. New and updated PROMs for OSA‐related quality of life should consider input from sleep surgery patients and providers. Laryngoscope, 134:4838–4846, 2024 We conducted a systematic review to assess the quality and measurement properties of seven identified patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) assessing adult obstructive sleep apnea‐related quality of life in sleep surgery. PROMs were evaluated for developmental methodology, structure, validity, and reliability using Consensus‐based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) criteria. We found that content validity was doubtful or inadequate for all included PROMs, and further work is needed to update PROMs in terms of length, readability, validity, and physician/patient input in design.