Comparison of Measurement Properties of the Mobility Section of the Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire on a Visual Analogue Scale and Its Modified Version with Five Response Categories

Abstract

Introduction Two different versions of the Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ) are available. This study aimed to assess the measurement properties of the original 13-item Mobility Section of the Finnish version of the PEQ on a visual analogue scale (PEQ-VAS, 0-100 points) and its modified 12-item version with five response categories (PEQ-MS12/5, 0-60 points). Methods Patients having undergone major lower-limb amputation completed the PEQ, the PEQ-MS12/5, the Locomotor Capabilities Index-5, the Houghton Scale, and the 15D instrument, and answered general health and pain questions on a VAS. Participants who completed the instruments twice in a 2-week interval (n = 117) were included. Results Mean (SD) scores of the PEQ-VAS and the PEQ-MS12/5 were 58 (25) and 31 (13) with coefficients of variation of 0.42 and 0.43, respectively. Reproducibility was consistent between the measures. Although Spearman's correlation coefficient was high (r = 0.83) and Kendall's coefficient of concordance was excellent (0.91), differences were noted in score distribution and patient rank correlation. There were similarities and differences in correlations with the other patient-reported instruments. Conclusions The original PEQ-VAS Mobility Section and the modified PEQ-MS12/5 have moderate measurement differences; the results are thus not directly comparable. Both measures provide reliable and valid scores, but the modified version is easier to complete and analyze in clinical work.