Validation of the Amputee Single Item Mobility Measure (AMPSIMM) and the abbreviated AMPSIMM-4 for amputee mobility.
Daniel C Norvell, David C Morgenroth, Joseph M Czerniecki and 4 others
PMID 40129294WHAT IT FOUND
A single self-report question about mobility closely matched longer mobility questionnaires and self-reported K-levels in veterans after vascular-related lower-limb amputation.
The shorter version also matched K-levels, but it is less detailed and not for small changes.
Key findings
01The AMPSIMM matched closely with the Locomotor Capabilities Index-5 (Spearman's rho = .88; p < .0001) and with PROMIS-P physical function (Spearman's rho = .67; p < .0001).
02The AMPSIMM-4 matched closely with self-reported K-levels (Spearman's rho = .82; p < .0001), but agreement was weaker at levels 0 and 1.
03AMPSIMM scores were highest after transmetatarsal and lowest after transfemoral amputation (chi-square test for trend p < .0001), but AMPSIMM-4 did not show a significant overall trend by amputation level (p = .10).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The K-level comparison used only 60 analysed participants and relied on patients choosing their own K-level, not clinician assignment. Four participants who reported K-level 4 were excluded from the AMPSIMM-4 K-level analysis. The sample was mostly male, white, and married veterans with vascular-related amputation, so it may not apply to younger, more active, trauma-related, or non-vascular amputations. The AMPSIMM is a single-item measure and may be less sensitive to small mobility changes than more detailed measures. Test-retest reliability was not evaluated. The AMPSIMM-4 did not show a significant overall trend by amputation level (p = .10). Twelve participants lacked Locomotor Capabilities Index-5 data and one participant lacked PROMIS-P data. The K-level subset differed from the parent study in major depressive disorder frequency.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that AMPSIMM-4 can replace clinician K-level assignment or detect small mobility changes. It was compared only with patient self-reported K-levels in 60 veterans, and the overall AMPSIMM-4 trend by amputation level was not significant (p = .10).