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.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Italian version of the Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire in individuals with peripheral facial palsy.

Background: After peripheral facial palsy, the onset of facial synkinesis results in aesthetic disfigurement and local muscle tension or pain, with possible deterioration of patient's well-being and social participation. The availability of valid instruments to evaluate patient-reported severity of facial synkinesis is important to capture the subjective perception of facial impairment.

Aim: To generate and validate an Italian version of the Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire, a patient-reported outcome measure to assess patient-perceived severity of facial synkinesis after peripheral facial palsy.

Head-to-head Rasch comparison of the Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire-Mobility Section and the Prosthetic Mobility Questionnaire 2.0 in Italian lower-limb prosthesis users.

Background: The Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire-Mobility Section (PEQ-MS) and the Prosthetic Mobility Questionnaire (PMQ 2.0) are two validated self-report questionnaires assessing mobility in people with lower-limb amputation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess and compare the psychometric properties of PEQ-MS and PMQ 2.

Measurement precision of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and its short forms in chronic low back pain.

The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) is a widely studied tool to assess pain catastrophizing for chronic low back pain (LBP). Short forms of the PCS exist, but their measurement precision at individual level is unclear. This study aimed to analyze the Rasch psychometric characteristics of the PCS and three of its short forms (two 4-item and one 6-item) in a sample of 180 Italian-speaking patients with chronic LBP, and compare their measurement precision at the individual level.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire in Italian university athletes with musculoskeletal injuries.

The aim of this study was to translate, culturally adapt and validate an Italian version of the Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire (AFAQ-I). We conducted a cross-sectional evaluation of the psychometric properties of the AFAQ-I in university athletes with musculoskeletal injuries, culturally adapting it in accordance with international standards. Psychometric evaluation included the assessment of structural validity (exploratory factor analysis), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha and inter-item correlation), test-retest reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient, (ICC) (2,1)], measurement error and minimum detectable change (MDC).

Rasch Validation of the Mini-BESTest in People With Parkinson Disease.

Background And Purpose: The Mini-BESTest is a balance measure with robust psychometric properties widely used in people with Parkinson disease. The aim of this study was to examine-with advanced psychometric techniques-some key properties of the Mini-BESTest (including unidimensionality, functioning of rating categories, internal construct validity, reliability indexes) in a consecutive sample of individuals with Parkinson disease admitted for balance rehabilitation.

Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis (partial credit model) were performed on 193 individual raw scores of the Mini-BESTest items.

Responsiveness and Minimal Important Change of the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale in Italian patients with chronic low back pain undergoing multidisciplinary rehabilitation.

Background: There is still a lack of information concerning Minimal Important Change (MIC) of the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QBPDS), that limits its use for clinical and research purposes.

Aim: Evaluating responsiveness and MIC of the QBPDS in Italians with chronic low back pain (LBP).

Design: This is a methodological research based on an observational study.

Facial Disability Index in Adults With Peripheral Facial Palsy: Rasch Analysis and Suggestions for Refinement.

Objective: To investigate the psychometric properties of the validated Italian version of the Facial Disability Index (FDI), a patient-reported outcome measure widely used to assess individuals with peripheral facial palsy.

Design: Methodological research on cross-sectional data from a convenience sample.

Setting: Outpatient university rehabilitation clinic.

Let's Write a Manuscript: A Primer With Tips and Tricks for Penning an Original Article.

A group of international researchers and editors summarize how (promptly and easily) an original manuscript can be written using certain tips and tricks. The authors guide novice colleagues with minimal experience using simple hints and straightforward advice in scholarly publishing. The main body of an original article is composed of four parts: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (the IMRaD format).

Diagnosing sarcopenia: Functional perspectives and a new algorithm from the ISarcoPRM.

Sarcopenia is an important public health problem, characterized by age-related loss of muscle mass and muscle function. It is a precursor of physical frailty, mobility limitation, and premature death. Muscle loss is mainly due to the loss of type II muscle fibres, and progressive loss of motor neurones is thought to be the primary underlying factor.

Responsiveness and minimal important change of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale in people with chronic low back pain undergoing multidisciplinary rehabilitation.

Background: The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), a widely used tool to assess catastrophizing related to spinal disorders, shows valid psychometric properties in general but the minimal important change (MIC) is still not determined.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess responsiveness and MIC of the PCS in individuals with chronic low back pain (LBP) undergoing multidisciplinary rehabilitation.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Rasch validation and comparison of the German versions of the Locomotor Capabilities Index-5 and Prosthetic Mobility Questionnaire 2.0 in lower-limb prosthesis users.

This study aimed to compare, through Rasch analysis, the psychometric properties of the Locomotor Capabilities Index (LCI-5) and Prosthetic Mobility Questionnaire (PMQ 2.0) in German lower-limb prosthesis users. The questionnaires were concurrently administered to a convenience sample of 98 consecutively recruited individuals with lower limb amputation (LLA) (male/female = 61/37; mean age 57 ± 14 years).

Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the Fremantle Knee Awareness Questionnaire in Italian subjects with painful knee osteoarthritis.

Background And Aim: Growing attention is being given to utilising physical function measures to better understand and manage knee osteoarthritis (OA). The Fremantle Knee Awareness Questionnaire (FreKAQ), a self-reported measure of body-perception specific to the knee, has never been validated in Italian patients. The aims of this study were to culturally adapt and validate the Italian version of the FreKAQ (FreKAQ-I), to allow for its use with Italian-speaking patients with painful knee OA.

Construct validity of the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale: a factor analytic and Rasch study.

Background: Studies on structural validity of the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QBPDS) showed uncertain unidimensionality.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate dimensionality and internal construct validity of the QBPDS, using advanced psychometric methods.

Design: The design of this study is a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional observational study.

Lymphedema quality of life questionnaire (LYMQOL): cross-cultural adaptation and validation in Italian women with upper limb lymphedema after breast cancer.

Purpose: There is growing interest in measures that assess upper-limb lymphedema after breast cancer. Since no validated Italian version of the Lymphedema Quality of Life Questionnaire for upper limbs (LYMQOL-UL) exists, we aimed to culturally adapt and validate an Italian version (LYMQOL-UL-IT) in order to allow its use in Italian patients.

Materials And Methods: The LYMQOL-UL-IT was developed by means of forward-backward translation, review by an expert committee and a test of the pre-final version to evaluate its comprehensibility.

Scale Shortening and Decrease in Measurement Precision: Analysis of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and Its Short Forms in an Italian-Speaking Population With Neck Pain Disorders.

Objective: Short (2- and 4-item) forms of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) have been proposed, but their measurement precision at the individual level is unclear.The purpose of this study was to analyze the Rasch psychometric characteristics of PSEQ and its 3 short forms (one 4-item and two 2-item versions) in an Italian-speaking population with neck pain (NP) disorders and compare their measurement precision at the individual level through calculation of the test information function (TIF).

Methods: Secondary analysis of data from a prospective single-group observational study was conducted.

A new valid Walking Aid Scale better predicts distance walked by prosthesis users than Prosthetic Mobility Questionnaire 2.0 and Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale.

The availability of psychometrically-sound and parsimonious outcome measures is key for optimizing decision-making about prosthetic fitting and rehabilitation in lower limb prosthesis users. Despite the increasing clinical use of observational and self-reported scales for assessing mobility and balance, there is currently no scale that accounts for the use of assistive devices while walking under conditions of increasing difficulty. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Walking Aid Scale (WAS) in a cross-sectional sample of 144 prosthesis users.

Validation of the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale With 5-Option Response Format in Slovene Lower-Limb Prosthetic Users.

Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale administered in the Slovene version with a simplified 5-option response format (ABC-5/SLO) using Rasch analysis.

Design: Methodological research on data gathered in a cross-sectional study.

Setting: Outpatient university rehabilitation clinic.

A further Rasch analysis of the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire in adults with chronic low back pain suggests the revision of its rating scale.

Background: Low-back pain (LBP) is a common health problem and one of the leading causes of activity limitation and work absence. LBP determines high societal burdens, as it is the most common cause of medically certified sick leave and early retirement, with economic impacts similar to other high-cost conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) and its two subscales, in subjects with chronic low back pain (LBP).

Rasch analysis of the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire short version (IIQ-7) in women with urinary incontinence.

Urinary incontinence is a clinical condition that can negatively affect activities, psychosocial well-being, and health-related quality of life. The Incontinence Impact Questionnaire short version (IIQ-7) is useful to quantify quickly the urinary incontinence-related life-impact. Previous psychometric studies on the IIQ-7, using classical test theory methods, demonstrated good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and a substantial unidimensionality of the tool.