• Michael Devlin, Tim Pauley, Kris Head, and Susan Garfinkel.
• Division of Physiatry, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. mdevlin@westpark.org
• Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2004 Aug 1;85(8):1339-44.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the responsiveness to change and the floor and ceiling effects of the Houghton Scale.DesignOne-week and 3-month test-retest to evaluate reliability, validity, and responsiveness to change.SettingAmputee rehabilitation program.ParticipantsPersons (N=125) with unilateral or bilateral lower-extremity amputation who were wearing a prostheses: 1 group (n=49) for the reliability component and another group (n=76) for the responsiveness and validity component.InterventionsNot applicable.Main Outcome MeasuresResponsiveness to change, ceiling and floor effects, and reliability and convergent validity.ResultsEvaluation of responsiveness to change (n=76) showed that the total score increased from a mean +/- standard deviation of 6.14+/-2.40 at discharge to 7.70+/-2.62 (P<.001) at follow-up 3 months later. Floor and ceiling effects were not detected for the overall score but were noted for the individual subscales. The internal consistency was moderate at discharge (Cronbach alpha=.71) and follow-up (Cronbach alpha=.70). The Houghton Scale correlated significantly, although moderately, with the physical composite score of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (r=.393, P<.01) and the 2-minute walk test at admission (r=.620, P<.01) and discharge (r=.653, P<.01). The reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=.96) of the Houghton Scale was high (n=49).ConclusionsThe Houghton Scale is appropriately responsive to change in prosthetic use in individuals with lower-limb amputation after rehabilitation.

32 keywords...

hide…