Comparison of clinical test and questionnaires for the evaluation of upper limb prosthetic use in children.

PURPOSE

The aim of the present study was to find out if there was a correlation between an observational clinical test and a questionnaire for the evaluation of upper limb prosthetic use in children and to determine which one was better and easier to use in clinical practice.

METHOD

Twenty children who were patients of the children's prosthetic clinic at the Rehabilitation Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and had a functional prosthesis were included in the study. The age appropriate subtest of the University of New Brunswick Test of Prosthetic Function (the UNB test) was assessed by an occupational therapist. Parents completed either the Child Amputee Prosthetics Project-Functional Status Inventory for Preschool children (CAPP-FSIP) or the Child Amputee Prosthetics Project-Functional Status Inventory (CAPP-FSI), depending on which was appropriate for the child's age. Information was limited to the upper extremity items.

RESULTS

We found a significant correlation between UNB spontaneity and skill score (r = 0.956, p = 0.000) and also between the parental CAPP score and UNB test (UNB spontaneity--CAPP activities r = 0.634, p = 0.003; UNB spontaneity--CAPP prosthetic use r = 0.542, p = 0.014, UNB skill--CAPP activities r = 0.559, p = 0.010, UNB skill--CAPP prosthetic use r = 0.597, p = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that both instruments can be used for assessing upper limb prosthetic use in children but neither is an optimal choice.