Tools to Measure Outcome of People with a Lower Limb Amputation: Update on the PPA and LCI

Abstract

Over the last decade, efforts have been made to develop disease-specific instruments to evaluate prosthetic and rehabilitation outcomes of people with lower limb amputations. This paper is an update of two instruments developed by the authors: the Prosthetic Profile of the Amputee (PPA) and the Locomotor Capabilities Index (LCI). The objective of the PPA is to evaluate prosthetic wear and active use of the prosthesis and to identify the factors that predispose to, enable, and reinforce prosthetic use. The LCI computes the global, basic, and advanced locomotor skills of the lower limb amputee with the prosthesis and assesses level of independence. The conceptual development of the instruments is discussed, the domains investigated, scales used are described, and psychometric properties are reported. Recent developments and studies are presented.