Comparison of the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation Method and Two Shoulder Rating Scales

TLDR

The study aimed to assess the correlation between the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation method and the Rowe and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores. The authors evaluated 209 follow‑up examinations of 163 cadets after shoulder surgery, categorizing them into 3‑month, 6‑month, 1‑year, 2‑year, and >2‑year intervals, and correlated the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation with the Rowe and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores. The Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation showed moderate to strong correlations (0.46–0.79) with the Rowe and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores, indicating it is a reliable, low‑burden outcome measure after shoulder surgery.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation method and the Rowe and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores. Between April 1993 and December 1996, 209 follow-up examinations were performed on 163 United States Military Academy cadets after shoulder surgery. These 209 examinations were divided into five follow-up categories: 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and greater than 2 years. The Rowe and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores from each subject's follow-up questionnaire were correlated with his or her Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation rating, which is determined by the subject's written response to the following question: “How would you rate your shoulder today as a percentage of normal (0% to 100% scale with 100% being normal)?” Correlation coefficients between the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation and the two scores were 0.51 to 0.79 for the Rowe score and 0.46 to 0.69 for the American Shoulder Elbow Surgeons score. The results of this study indicate that the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation correlates well with these two scores after shoulder surgery. This study suggests that this new evaluation method provides clinicians with a mechanism to gather outcomes data with little demand on their time and resources.