Development and evaluation of the activities measure for upper limb amputees

(1) To develop a measure of activities for adults with upper limb amputation: the Activities Measure for Upper Limb Amputees (AM-ULA); and (2) to conduct initial psychometric evaluation of the measure.

This was a cohort study where the prototype measure was administered twice within 1 week. Tests were videotaped and graded by 2 independent raters. Interrater reliability, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and minimal detectable change were estimated. Known group validity was examined using analyses of variance comparing scores of transradial, transhumeral, and shoulder level amputees. Convergent validity was examined by correlating AM-ULA scores with dexterity tests and self-reported function.

Hospital outpatient.

Subjects (N=52) with upper limb amputation.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for test-retest reliability were .88 to .91. ICCs for interrater reliability were .84 to .89. Cronbach alphas were .89 to .91. The minimal detectable change at the 90% confidence interval was 3.7 points. Subjects with more distal levels of limb loss had better scores than those with more proximal levels (P<.01). The AM-ULA was moderately correlated with most dexterity tests and self-reported function.

The AM-ULA is a new measure of activity performance for adults with upper limb amputation that considers task completion, speed, movement quality, skillfulness of prosthetic use, and independence in its rating system. It has good interrater reliability, test-retest reliability, and demonstrated known group validity.