Psychometric Properties of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Post-COVID Syndrome

Abstract: As a result of COVID-19 disease, a relevant proportion of affected people experience persistent symptoms (postacute sequelae of COVID, PASC, long‍(–haul), or post-COVID, LC or PCS) and their impact on life quality. Given the multifaceted nature of PCS, to date, there is no precise diagnostic method for identifying it. However, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are particularly important in diagnostics. Various PROMs for PCS were developed during the pandemic, and existing PROMs have been adapted. This systematic review examines the psychometric quality of published PROMs to assess PCS and provides recommendations for future use following the COSMIN procedure (COnsensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments). We searched PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycInfo in December 2023 and again in June 2024 and included articles describing the development and/or psychometric properties of the PROMs to assess PCS. Three independent reviewers screened abstracts and full texts for eligibility, assessed their methodological quality according to the COSMIN Risk of Bias Checklist, and determined the measurement properties using the COSMIN Manual for Criteria on Good Measurement Properties. We identified 10 different PROMs described in 23 articles, none of which performed well regarding all the investigated psychometric properties. Only one PROM was fully developed according to the COSMIN recommendations. All PROMs for PCS require further psychometric evaluation, as none have sufficient measurement properties.