Exploring the Perspectives of Different Professions on Task-Based Upper-Limb Prosthesis Assessment Techniques

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Effective evaluation of upper-limb prostheses is crucial for clinical care, research, and device development.
• Numerous task-based functional assessments exist, but their selection varies by professional domain and assessment purpose.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how professional background and priorities influence the selection of upper-limb prosthetic functional assessments.
• To understand the differing needs of clinicians and researchers in evaluating prosthetic function.

Main Methods:

• A cross-professional survey of 100 physical therapists, occupational therapists, prosthetists, physicians, and researchers in the upper extremity prosthesis field.
• Respondents reported familiarity and use of 25 task-based assessments and ranked test attributes like administration time, validity, comprehensiveness, and progress tracking.

Main Results:

• Validity and ability to track patient progress were universally important.
• Researchers prioritized comprehensiveness, while clinicians favored shorter administration times.
• The Box and Block Test was the most commonly used assessment across all professions.

Conclusions:

• Professional roles, competing priorities, and practical constraints significantly influence the choice of tests for evaluating upper-limb prosthetic function.
• Understanding these differences is vital for standardizing assessments and advancing prosthetic research and clinical practice.