Evaluation of the Seattle Foot

Evaluation of the Seattle Foot was the first major evaluation project undertaken by the Rehabilitation Research and Development Evaluation Unit. As a joint project with the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, it not only helped to launch an important new prosthetic foot concept but also set precedents for methods and procedures to evaluate promising prototype devices and to facilitate their commercialization. A great many people contributed to this project. Fred Downs and Edward Nowack organized the service delivery of the Seattle Foot through their 44 Prosthetic Clinics in VAMCs across the nation. The clinic chiefs and the prosthetic contractors gave freely of their time to ensure that evaluation data and comments were obtained and reported. Ernest Burgess and his Prosthetic Research Study staff developed evaluation protocols on which this evaluation was based. Finally, the 486 amputee veteran subjects made the evaluation a credible reality with their thoughtful responses.