Functional status in limb deficiency: development of an outcome measure for preschool children.

OBJECTIVE

To develop an outcome measure of functional status in preschool children with limb deficiency.

DESIGN

Parents of preschool children with limb deficiency completed self-report measures during a routine medical clinic visit.

SETTING

Outpatient pediatric clinic.

PARTICIPANTS

Fifty-two parents of children (ages 4 to 7) with acquired or congenital limb deficiency.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The newly developed Child Amputee Prosthetics Project-Functional Status Inventory for Preschool children (CAPP-FSIP).

RESULTS

Initial psychometric studies indicate high internal consistency reliability of the new instrument. Content validity was established through expert clinician review. Initial construct validity analyses confirm that the CAPP-FSIP discriminates between children with upper and lower deficiency and their prosthesis use for functional activities.

CONCLUSION

The CAPP-FSIP is a promising new measure for evaluating preschool age children with limb deficiency.