Validating the Postdischarge Surgical Recovery Scale 13 as a Measure of Perceived Postoperative Recovery After Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy

Abstract

Objectives No postoperative recovery measurement tools have been validated among women undergoing laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy for pelvic organ prolapse, which impedes development and testing of strategies to improve recovery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Postdischarge Surgical Recovery Scale (PSR) as a measure of perceived recovery in laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy patients. Methods Women (N = 120) with stage 2 or higher pelvic organ prolapse undergoing laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy completed a 15-minute postoperative survey (days 7, 14, 42, and 90 [each ± 3 days]) which included the 15-item PSR. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using data from 14 days postsurgery, when patients would have begun to recover, but there was likely to be substantial variability in recovery across patients. We also assessed validity and explored sensitivity to change over time and minimally important difference values.

Results Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fitting model for a reduced version of the PSR (ie, PSR13). Regressions showed that the PSR13 prospectively predicted single-item recovery scores. The PSR13 recovery significantly improved from days 7 to 42, suggesting the PSR13 is sensitive to change. Descriptive statistics including minimally important differences are reported. The minimally important difference was estimated to be around 5 points.

Conclusions The PSR13 is a psychometrically sound tool for measuring recovery over time in this population. Its short length makes it an ideal postoperative recovery measure in clinical practice or research.