Measurement properties of quality of life instruments for adults with active venous leg ulcers: A systematic review protocol

Objectives The primary objective is to identify instruments used to measure quality of life (QoL) in studies of people with active venous leg ulcers (VLUs). The secondary objective is to map the qualities of each instrument to make recommendations for clinical practice and future research. Introduction VLUs have a negative impact on patients' QoL. Prolonged healing and frequent recurrence leads to pain, prolonged disability and psychosocial morbidity. Accurate measurement of QoL can optimise the evaluation of VLU treatments and guide clinician and patient decision-making. Inclusion criteria Studies that reported QoL in patients with active VLUs. Methods This review will identify studies indexed in CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Emcare and ProQuest from January 2000 to December 2020. Methodological quality will be assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) Risk of Bias checklist. A narrative synthesis of general information, methodology and measurement properties of the QoL instruments will be presented. If possible, a random effects meta-analysis will be conducted where appropriate.