Validity and responsiveness of the psychosocial impact of assistive device scale in hip arthroplasty patients

BACKGROUND: Hip arthroplasty (HA) is considered one of the major advances in the treatment of orthopedic diseases, and one of the most performed surgeries in the world. Rehabilitation and assistive devices play a fundamental role for the recovery. However, regarding assistive devices a high rate of non-use is registered, and no evaluation tools are available. The objective of the present research is to evaluate measurement properties of the Italian version of the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Device Scale (IT-PIADS) in hip arthroplasty patients. METHODS: The IT-PIADS was administered to different hip arthroplasty patients into Policlinico Umberto I University Hospital. The internal consistency and reliability were analyzed by Cronbach' α and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, respectively. To determine clinical utility of the IT-PIADS, the responsiveness was examined. RESULT S: Ninety participants who used different assistive devices for activity of daily leaving were selected. The reliability showed excellent values for Competence, Adaptability and Self-esteem sub-scales (0.957, 0.966, 0.963) and good internal consistency (Cronbach'α 0.800). The responsiveness analysis showed all significant values (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PIADS demonstrated good measurement properties. Now health professional could use a reliable and valid assessment tool for both clinical and research purpose. The present findings lay the foundations for the comprehension of use/non-use of assistive devices in HA population.