Abstract
A broad spectrum of long-term sequelae may be present in venous thromboembolism (VTE)
survivors, affecting their quality of life and functioning. To monitor recovery and
improve the prognosis of patients with persistent functional limitations, the development
of a new outcome measure that could better capture the consequences of VTE was an
unmet need. Starting as a call to action, the Post-VTE Functional Status (PVFS) scale
was developed to meet this need. The PVFS scale is an easy-to-use clinical tool to
measure and quantify functional outcomes after VTE by focusing on key aspects of daily
life. As the scale was considered useful in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients
as well, the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) scale was introduced early in
the pandemic after slight adaptation. The scale has been well incorporated into both
the VTE and COVID-19 research communities, contributing to the shift of focus toward
patient-relevant functional outcomes. Psychometric properties have been evaluated,
mainly for the PCFS scale but recently also for the PVFS scale, including validation
studies of translations, showing adequate validity and reliability. In addition to
serving as outcome measure in studies, guidelines and position papers recommend using
the PVFS and PCFS scale in clinical practice. As broad use of the PVFS and PCFS scale
in clinical practice is valuable to capture what matters most to patients, widespread
implementation is a crucial next step. In this review, we discuss the development
of the PVFS scale and introduction in VTE and COVID-19 care, the incorporation of
the scale in research, and its application in clinical practice.
Keywords venous thromboembolism - quality of life - patient-reported outcome measure - Post-VTE
Functional Status scale - Post-COVID-19 Functional Status scale
