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Prosthetic socket fit comfort score
R S Hanspal1, Keren Fisher, Richard Nieveen
1Stanmore Disability Services Centre, RNOHT, Middlesex, UK. rajiv.hanspal@thh.nhs.uk
Disability and Rehabilitation
|November 18, 2003
Summary
A new 11-point scale effectively measures socket comfort for artificial limbs. This Socket Comfort Score (SCS) is reliable, valid, and sensitive to changes, proving useful in clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Prosthetics and Orthotics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Socket comfort is crucial for prosthetic users' quality of life.
- Existing methods for assessing socket comfort may lack standardization or sensitivity.
- A simple, reliable tool is needed to quantify socket comfort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate a simple numerical scale for recording artificial limb socket comfort.
- To establish the reliability and validity of the Socket Comfort Score (SCS).
Main Methods:
- Adapted an 11-point numerical rating scale for pain to create the Socket Comfort Score (SCS).
- Assessed 44 patients in a prosthetic rehabilitation clinic.
- Evaluated repeatability, criterion-related validity, and sensitivity to change after interventions.
Main Results:
- The SCS demonstrated consistency and reliability, with high correlations between repeated patient scores.
- A strong relationship was observed between reported SCS and clinical assessments of poor fit by physicians and prosthetists.
- Significant improvements in SCS were recorded after interventions to enhance socket fit.
Conclusions:
- The Socket Comfort Score (SCS) is repeatable, valid, and sensitive to changes in socket fit.
- The SCS has demonstrated clinical utility in prosthetic rehabilitation.
- Wider adoption and use of the SCS are recommended for improved patient care.