Researchers assessed the validity of a customized instrument being used with individuals with upper-limb amputations, the PROMIS-9 UE. PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) is a set of person-centered psychometric measures that evaluates and monitors physical, mental, and social health in adults and children. The PROMIS-9 UE is a customized nine-item assessment developed specifically for people with upper-limb amputations. The research team concluded that the PROMIS-9 UE demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, supporting its use within the population of individuals with upper-limb amputations.
A sample of 239 adults with upper-limb amputations were included (mean age: 48 ± 16 years; female: n = 69; prosthesis users: n = 150). Following clinical implementation of the PROMIS-9 UE, the following psychometric properties were examined: structural and known-groups validity, differential item functioning, and reliability.
The results indicated that the PROMIS-9 UE short form demonstrated convincing evidence of structural validity, including no violation of unidimensionality, local independence, monotonicity, and adequate model fit. Known-groups analysis demonstrated that the PROMIS-9 UE instrument was able to discriminate between prosthesis users and non-prosthesis users and amputation level. The Cronbach’s alpha and item response theory reliability at the selected range of T-scores were >0.9 indicating high reliability. No items were flagged for age in differential item functioning.
Researchers from Hanger Clinic, Austin, Texas, the University of North Carolina, the University of Utah, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha conducted the study.
The study, Assessment of a 9-item PROMIS Upper Extremity Instrument among Individuals with Upper Limb Amputation, was published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
