Categorization and recommendations for outcome measures for lower limb absence by an expert panel.

Background: Understanding the psychometric strengths and limitations of outcome measures for use with people with lower limb absence (LLA) is important for selecting measures suited to evaluating patient outcomes, answering clinical and research questions, and informing health care policy. The aim of this project was to review the current psychometric evidence on outcome measures in people with LLA to determine which measures should be included in a stakeholder consensus process.

Methods: An expert panel was assembled, and a 3-stage review process was used to categorize outcome measures identified in a systematic literature review into 3 distinct categories (recommended for measures with better than adequate psychometric properties; recommended with qualification; and unable to recommend).

Rasch validation of the German version of the Prosthesis Embodiment Scale for lower limb amputees and proposal of a revised version.

Purpose: To perform a detailed psychometric Rasch analysis of the Prosthesis Embodiment Scale (PEmbS) administered in adults with lower limb amputation (LLA).

Methods: A convenience sample of German-speaking adults with LLA ( = 150), recruited from German state agencies' databases, was asked to complete the PEmbS, a 10-item patient-reported scale assessing prosthesis embodiment.

Results: The local dependency between two items was resolved by keeping for the global score only the lower score of these two items (#9 and #10).

Rasch validation of the German translation of the Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility short forms in people with lower limb amputation.

Background: Prostheses are a primary rehabilitative intervention for people after lower limb amputation. To appropriately measure the effectiveness of prosthetic interventions, valid and reliable measures of prosthetic mobility are required. The Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility (PLUS-M) is a promising instrument for measuring prosthesis users' mobility.

Assessing individual-level measurement precision of the Short Physical Performance Battery using the test information function.

The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) is a commonly used tool to assess lower extremity function, composed of three assessments (standing balance, gait speed, and chair stand). While its validity for group-level decisions has been positively demonstrated, the measurement precision at the individual level needs more clarification. We aimed to examine the SPPB's psychometric characteristics including its conditional measurement precision with Rasch methods in a sample of elderly patients admitted to cardiac rehabilitation.

Rasch validation and refinement of the Lymphedema Life Impact Scale version 2 in an Italian cohort with secondary lymphedema.

Purpose: To produce and validate an Italian version of the Lymphedema Life Impact Scale version 2 (LLISv2-It), a tool measuring the impact of lymphedema on health-related quality of life, and investigate its main psychometric characteristics.

Methods: After translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the LLISv2, we administered it to 156 subjects with secondary lymphedema (upper or lower limb), together with (depending on the limb involved) either the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH) or the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS). We analyzed the performance of LLISv2-It using Classical Test Theory and Rasch methods.