The Pedi International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) child are validated questionnaires for children with knee disorders. The aim of this study was to translate these questionnaires in Dutch and to recommend which questionnaires should – based on their psychometric properties – be used in clinical practice. The English Pedi-IKDC and KOOS-Child were translated by the forward-backward procedure. Subsequently, content validity of the Pedi-IKDC and KOOS-Child was evaluated by both patients (n = 18) and experts (n = 18). To evaluate construct validity and interpretability participants with knee disorders (n = 100) completed the Numeric Rating Scale Pain, Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, EuroQol-5 Dimension, Pedi-IKDC and KOOS-Child at baseline. Participants completed the anchor question, Pedi-IKDC and KOOS-child two weeks (n = 54) and one year (n = 71) after baseline, for evaluating the test-retest reliability and responsiveness. Psychometric properties were interpreted following the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) criteria. The Pedi-IKDC showed adequate test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.9; standard error of measurement (SEM) 8.6; smallest detectable change (SDC) 23.8), adequate content validity (> 75% relevant), adequate construct validity (75% confirmed hypotheses), low floor or ceiling effects (scores between 5 and 95) and adequate responsiveness (> 75% confirmed hypotheses). The KOOS-Child showed an adequate test-retest reliability (ICC 0.8–0.9; SEM 8.9–16.9; SDC 24.7–46.9), adequate content validity (> 75% relevant, except KOOS-Child subscale ADL), adequate construct validity (75% confirmed hypotheses), low floor and ceiling effects (scores between 5 and 95, except KOOS-Child subscale activities of daily living and Sport/play) and moderate responsiveness (40% confirmed hypotheses). The Pedi IKDC showed better psychometric properties than the KOOS-Child and should therefore be used in children with knee disorders.

Objective The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of Dutch parents of children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), treated with a Pavlik harness, during the diagnostic and treatment process in the first year of life. Design A qualitative study by means of semistructured interviews was conducted between September and December 2020. Qualitative content analysis was applied to code, categorise and thematise data. Setting A large, tertiary referral centre for paediatric orthopaedics in the Netherlands. Participants A purposive sample of parents of children aged younger than 1 year, who were treated for DDH with a Pavlik harness, were interviewed until data saturation was achieved. A total of 20 interviews with 22 parents were conducted. Results Five main themes emerged: (1) positive experiences with professionals and peers, (2) insufficient information, (3) treatment concerns, (4) difficulties parenting and (5) emotional burden. Most prominent features that resonated across the interviews which led to insecurity by parents were: insufficient pre-hospital information, unfiltered online information and the lack of overview of the patient journey. Conclusion This study offers novel insights into parental experiences in DDH care. Parents were generally satisfied with DDH care provided by the hospital. The biggest challenges were to cope with (1) insufficient and unfiltered information, (2) the lack of patient journey overview and (3) practical problems and emotional doubts, which led to concerns during treatment. Future research and interventions should focus on optimising information provision and guidance with practical and emotional support for parents of children with DDH.

After initial clubfoot correction through Ponseti treatment, recurrence rates range from 26% to 48%. Even though various factors have been associated with increased recurrence risk, systematic assessments of the prognostic capacity of recurrence risk factors and their clinical relevance are lacking. Therefore we assessed clinically relevant prognostic factors for recurrent idiopathic clubfoot deformity after initial correction through Ponseti treatment. PubMed, Embase, Cinahl, and Web of Science were systematically searched for studies investigating the association between clinically relevant factors and recurrence rates. Prognostic factors were qualitatively assessed and included in the meta-analysis if ≥ 2 studies investigated the same factor and methods were comparable. 34 articles were included in the qualitative synthesis, of which 22 were also included in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis revealed that poor evertor muscle activity (OR = 255, 95% CI 30–2,190), brace non-compliance (OR = 10, CI 5–21), no additional stretching (OR = 31, CI 10–101), more casts (OR = 3.5, CI 1.6–7.8), lower education level of parents (OR = 1.8, CI 1.2–2.6), non-marital status of parents (OR = 1.8, CI 1.1–3.0), and higher Dimeglio scores (OR = 1.9, CI 1.2–3.3) were associated with higher recurrence rates. Brace non-compliance and poor evertor muscle activity have been identified as main recurrence risk factors and are therefore important to be closely monitored during clinical follow-up of clubfoot patients. Adding additional stretching during the bracing protocol might be promising in the quest to prevent relapse, but scientific evidence for clear clinical treatment recommendations is still limited.

Background: Knee pain is highly prevalent worldwide, and this number is expected to rise in the future. The COVID-19 outbreak, in combination with the aging population, rising health care costs, and the need to make health care more accessible worldwide, has led to an increasing demand for digital health care applications to deliver care for patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Digital health and other forms of telemedicine can add value in optimizing health care for patients and health care providers. This might reduce health care costs and make health care more accessible while maintaining a high level of quality. Although expectations are high, there is currently no overview comparing digital health applications with face-to-face contact in clinical trials to establish a primary knee diagnosis in orthopedic surgery. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the currently available digital health and telemedicine applications to establish a primary knee diagnosis in orthopedic surgery in the general population in comparison with imaging or face-to-face contact between patients and physicians. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using the PubMed and Embase databases according to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) statement. The inclusion criteria were studies reporting methods to determine a primary knee diagnosis in orthopedic surgery using digital health or telemedicine. On April 28 and 29, 2021, searches were conducted in PubMed (MEDLINE) and Embase. Data charting was conducted using a predefined form and included details on general study information, study population, type of application, comparator, analyses, and key findings. A risk-of-bias analysis was not deemed relevant considering the scoping review design of the study. Results: After screening 5639 articles, 7 (0.12%) were included. In total, 2 categories to determine a primary diagnosis were identified: screening studies (4/7, 57%) and decision support studies (3/7, 43%). There was great heterogeneity in the included studies in algorithms used, disorders, input parameters, and outcome measurements. No more than 25 knee disorders were included in the studies. The included studies showed a relatively high sensitivity (67%-91%). The accuracy of the different studies was generally lower, with a specificity of 27% to 48% for decision support studies and 73% to 96% for screening studies. Conclusions: This scoping review shows that there are a limited number of available applications to establish a remote diagnosis of knee disorders in orthopedic surgery. To date, there is limited evidence that digital health applications can assist patients or orthopedic surgeons in establishing the primary diagnosis of knee disorders. Future research should aim to integrate multiple sources of information and a standardized study design with close collaboration among clinicians, data scientists, data managers, lawyers, and service users to create reliable and secure databases.

Aims: The aim of this study was to identify the information topics that should be addressed according to the parents of children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in the diagnostic and treatment phase during the first year of life. Second, we explored parental recommendations to further optimize the information provision in DDH care.Methods: A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted between September and December 2020. A purposive sample of parents of children aged younger than one year, who were treated for DDH with a Pavlik harness, were interviewed until data saturation was achieved. A total of 20 interviews with 22 parents were conducted. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, independently reviewed, and coded into categories and themes.Results: Interviews revealed four fundamental information topics that should be addressed in the different phases of the DDH healthcare trajectory: general information (screening phase), patient-specific information (diagnostic and treatment phase), practical information (treatment phase), and future perspectives (treatment and follow-up phase). To further optimize the information provision in DDH care, parents wished for more accessible and trustworthy general information prior to the first hospital visit to be better prepared for the diagnosis. Furthermore, parents wanted more personalized and visually supported information for a better understanding of the nature of the disease and the reason for treatment.Conclusion: This study offers novel insights to optimize the information provision in DDH care. The main finding is the shift in information need from general information in the screening phase to patient-specific information in the diagnostic and treatment phase of DDH. Parents prefer visually-supported information, provided in a timely fashion, and tailored to their child’s situation. These recommendations potentially decrease parental anxiety, insecurity, confusion, and increase parental empowerment and treatment adherence throughout the diagnostic and treatment phase of DDH.Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2023;4(7):496–506.