Abstract
Introduction
Patients undergoing limb reconstruction surgery often face a challenging and often lengthy process to complete their treatment journey. The majority of existing outcome measures do not adequately capture the patient reported outcomes relevant to this patient group in a single measure. Following a previous systematic review, the Stanmore Limb Reconstruction Score (SLRS) was designed with the intent to address this need for an effective instrument to measure patient reported outcomes in limb reconstruction patients.
Materials and Methods
The SLRS was designed following the use of structured interviews with a group of patients who have undergone limb reconstruction surgery, limb reconstruction surgeons, specialist nurses and physiotherapists. This has undergone further adjustment for language and clarity. The score was then trialled on 10 patients who have been through the process of limb reconstruction surgery, with subsequent structured questioning to understand the perceived suitability.
Results
Ten patients have completed the score and the subsequent structured interview. All patients found the score acceptable to complete in the time while waiting in clinic. Considering the tool as a whole, 100% of respondents felt the score to be comprehensible, relevant and comprehensive regarding the areas that were important to a patient undergoing limb reconstruction surgery. For individual questions, on a 5 point Likert scale, importance/relevance was reported as a mean of 4.78 (4.3–5), with ability to understand rated as 4.92 (4.7–5) suggesting high levels of relevance and comprehension. Flesh-Kincaid reading grade level was calculated as 5.2 (10–11 years old).
Conclusions
The current Stanmore limb reconstruction score has been shown to have acceptable scores from a patient sample regarding relevance, comprehensibility and comprehensiveness. This demonstrates face validity, however further testing required and is ongoing in a larger cohort of patients to determine the reliability, responsiveness, precision and criterion validity of the score in this patient group.
