ABSTRACTPatient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are key tools when performing clinical research and PROM data are increasingly used to inform clinical decision‐making, patient‐centered care, health policy and more recently, reimbursement decisions. PROMs must possess particular properties before they are used. Thus purpose of this paper is to give an overview of PROMs, their definition, how their evidence can be assessed, how they should be reported in clinical research, how to choose PROMs, the types of PROMs available in orthopaedics, where these measures can be found, PROMs in orthopaedic clinical practice and what are some key next steps in this field. If PROMs are used in accordance with the guidance in this article, I believe we will gain considerable insight into PROMs in orthopaedics and will advance this field in a way that can contribute to science, improve patient care and save considerable resources. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2098–2108, 2017.