Translation, cultural adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese, and validation of the Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility.

Abstract

Background: Several outcome measures can be performed to assess and quantify mobility after a lower limb amputation. The Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility (PLUS-M) is a self-report instrument developed to assess mobility in prosthesis users. It has already been translated into different languages but not into Brazilian Portuguese.

Objectives: To perform the translation and cultural adaptation into Brazilian Portuguese of the PLUS-M and to assess its validity and reliability.

Study design: Observational cross-sectional study.

Methods: Translation and cultural adaptation were performed by following internationally recognized standards. To assess construct validity, the T-scores of PLUS-M/12-Item Short Form-Brazilian Portuguese (BR-12) item short form were correlated to the 2-Minute Walk Test and the scores from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Short Form Health Survey domains by the Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ). A second administration of the PLUS-M/BR-12 was done by phone call to assess test-retest reliability.

Results: Some cultural adaptations were made to improve understanding. The PLUS-M/BR-12 T-scores of 61 participants showed a strong correlation between the scores of the 2-Minute Walk Test (ρ = 0.69) and the Physical Function domain of the 36-Short Form Health Survey (ρ = 0.83), and an excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.90 [IC 95% = 0.833-0.943]; F (49,49) = 19,037; P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The PLUS-M/BR-12 demonstrated evidence of validity and reliability in assessing mobility in Brazilian adults with lower limb amputations who use a prosthetic device, and it is suitable for use in clinical care.