Outcome measures for assessing change in children with hypermobility-associated conditions and chronic lower limb musculoskeletal pain: a Delphi survey of international health professions.

Rachal Quinlan, Luke M Davies, Kelly Gray, Verity Pacey

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Clinical rheumatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Treatment for symptomatic hypermobility in childhood.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2026
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Rachal QuinlanDepartment of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences Macquarie University, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Rd, Sydney, NSW, G8152109, Australia. rachal.quinlan@mq.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-2291-9111

Luke M DaviesDepartment of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences Macquarie University, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Rd, Sydney, NSW, G8152109, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9688-0828

Kelly GrayDepartment of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences Macquarie University, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Rd, Sydney, NSW, G8152109, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7935-1142

Verity PaceyDepartment of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences Macquarie University, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Rd, Sydney, NSW, G8152109, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5577-2732

Funding

Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship 2024599MRFF 2015970

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe study aims to reach an expert consensus and rank the top outcome measures that health professionals could utilise to measure change in pain, function, fatigue, and quality of life (QoL) of children with hypermobility-associated conditions and chronic musculoskeletal lower limb pain.

methodsA three-round modified Delphi survey was conducted between February and April 2024. In the first two rounds, experienced health professionals were invited to rate the importance of outcome measures assessing change over time in children (5 years and older) with hypermobility and chronic musculoskeletal lower limb pain. Outcome measures were collated from the literature and participant suggestions and assigned to four domains: pain, function, fatigue, and QoL. A priori threshold of consensus was 70% or greater of participants rating an outcome measure as important or essential. In the third round, participants ranked the outcome measures that met consensus in order of importance.

resultsOverall, 44 health professionals, from 13 countries, participated. Retention rate from round one to round three was 85%. Nine outcome measures achieved consensus.

conclusionsReaching consensus on this core set of outcome measures to assess change over time represents a step toward the development of international guidelines for the management of children with hypermobility and lower limb pain.

Indexed as

Chronic PainJoint InstabilityMusculoskeletal PainOutcome Assessment, Health CareAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolConsensusDelphi TechniqueFemaleHumansLower ExtremityMaleQuality of LifeChildrenChronic leg painDelphiHypermobilityOutcome measure

Identifiers

PMID40437322

DOI10.1007/s10067-025-07504-x

PMCPMC12234627

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.