Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are information that comes directly from any aspect of a patient's own health status. The traditional patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in foot and ankle surgery include the American Association of Foot and Ankle Surgery series scale, the visual analogue scale, the medical outcomes study 36-item short form of health survey (SF-36), the foot and ankle outcome scale and the medical outcome study 12-item short form of health survey (SF-12). In the process of use, these PROMs can not accurately reflect the patient's feelings because of the subjective influence of doctors, only responding to specific diseases or general health conditions, and the test fatigue caused by too long questionnaires, which ultimately affect the reliability and validity of the results. The scales of the patient-reported outcome measurement information system (PROMIS) led by National Institutes of Health have been verified to have good reliability, validity and responsiveness, and its results are true and reliable, and have high clinical reference significance. The PROMIS includes short forms, short form collection and computerized adaptive test (CAT), of which the PROMIS CAT is built on scientific item response theory, with the selection of each question highly correlated with the underlying trait of the patient, and the accuracy and credibility of PROs significantly improved. The PROMIS score has been applied in clinical practice in foot and ankle surgery (including hallux valgus, flatfoot and talar neck fractures, etc.) and has demonstrated excellent and stable preoperative prediction and prognosis evaluation ability. The presentation of PROMIS and its application progress can enhance the participation of patients of foot and ankle surgery in medical activities and guide clinical decision-making in foot and ankle surgery.