https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0869-2278
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Abstract
Purpose
To perform a detailed psychometric Rasch analysis of the Prosthesis Embodiment Scale (PEmbS) administered in adults with lower limb amputation (LLA).
Methods
A convenience sample of German-speaking adults with LLA (n = 150), recruited from German state agencies’ databases, was asked to complete the PEmbS, a 10-item patient-reported scale assessing prosthesis embodiment.
Results
The local dependency between two items was resolved by keeping for the global score only the lower score of these two items (#9 and #10). Collapsing the seven response categories to four (two expressing disagreement and two agreement) eliminated disordered thresholds. After that, the PEmbS demonstrated unidimensionality, acceptable item fit, and good reliability indices. A keyform plot was created to transform raw scores into linear measures of prosthesis embodiment, making it possible to compare the individual’s item responses with those expected by the Rasch model, and to manage missing responses.
Conclusions
The PEmbS is useful for assessing prosthesis embodiment in people with LLA, both for research and clinical purposes. We propose a revised version of the PEmbS for lower limb amputees; its appropriateness in other LLA contexts requires further investigation.
IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION
Prosthesis embodiment has been empirically related to positive clinical outcomes in limb amputees.
The Prosthesis Embodiment Scale (PEmbS) is a patient-reported scale that has been recently recommended for use in research on prosthesis embodiment.
Rasch analysis showed that the revised version of the German PEmbS is a psychometrically sound instrument for the assessment of prosthesis embodiment in lower limb amputees.
The PEmbS thus also allows reliable and valid diagnosis of prosthesis embodiment in clinical and rehabilitation contexts.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.