Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40617908›Full record

ArticleJournal of patient-reported outcomes2025

Psychometric findings for LIMB-Q kids based on an international study of 800 children and adolescents with lower limb differences.

Harpreet Chhina, Charlene Rae, David Podeszwa, James A Fernandes, Louise Johnson, Bjoern Vogt, Jan Duedal Rolfing, Alicia Kerrigan, Ashish Ranade, Juergen Messner and 10 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of patient-reported outcomes, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Harpreet ChhinaDepartment of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. hchhina@cw.bc.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7656-457X
Charlene RaeDepartment of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
David PodeszwaDepartment of Orthopaedics, Scottish Rite for Children, Dallas, Texas, USA.
James A FernandesDepartment of Orthopaedics, Sheffield Children's Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
Louise JohnsonDepartment of Clinical & Health Psychology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK.
Bjoern VogtUniversity of Münster, Münster University Hospital, Münster, Germany.
Jan Duedal RolfingChildren's Orthopaedics and Reconstruction, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Alicia KerriganChildren's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Ashish RanadeBlooming Buds Centre for Pediatric Orthopaedics, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India.
Juergen MessnerRoyal Hospital for Children and Young People Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Mohan BelthurDepartment of Orthopaedics, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Melissa EsparzaDepartment of Orthopaedics, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Jonathan WrightRoyal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, UK.
David BadeDepartment of Orthopaedics, Queensland Children's Hospital, Queensland, Australia.
Sarah McMahon, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK.
Christopher IobstThe Ohio State University, College of Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Sanjeev SabharwalUCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Oakland, California, USA.
Marcel AbouassalyAlberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Anthony Cooper *Department of Orthopaedics, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Anne F Klassen *Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLIMB-Q Kids is a new patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for children and adolescents with Lower limb differences (LLDs). This international field test study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of LIMB-Q Kids. METHODOLOGY: Patients from pediatric orthopaedic clinics with a diagnosis of LLDs were recruited. Participants completed LIMB-Q Kids and 2 generic quality of life questionnaires, i.e., PROMIS Pediatric Short Form v2.0 - Mobility 8a, and PedsQL. Demographic and clinical data were collected including the LLRS AIM Index, a measure of clinical severity for LLDs. Rasch measurement theory (RMT) analysis was used to examine the psychometric properties of LIMB-Q Kids. Test-retest (TRT) reliability was examined and tests of construct validity were performed.

resultsParticipants (N = 800) were recruited from 16 sites in 7 countries. Participants were aged 8 years and older (mean = 13, standard deviation = 3.2, range 8-25 years) and had a broad range of LLDs (e.g., Leg Length Discrepancy, Fibular Hemimelia, Skeletal Dysplasia, Blount's disease, Posteromedial Tibial Bowing, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Congenital Pseudarthrosis of Tibia, Tibial Hemimelia and Amputations). RMT analysis provided evidence of the reliability and validity of 9 independently functioning scales that measure leg appearance, physical function, symptoms (hip, leg, knee, ankle, and foot), leg-related distress, and social, and psychological function. In addition, TRT reliability based on a sample of 46 participants was high for all 9 scales (Intraclass correlation coefficient ranges from 0.76-0.95). LIMB-Q Kids Physical Function scale correlated strongly with the PROMIS Pediatric Short Form v2.0 - Mobility 8a (Pearson correlation 0.82) and the PedsQL Physical Function total score (Pearson correlation 0.77). As hypothesized, participants with more severe LLDs based on the LLRS AIM index scores reported lower scores on all LIMB-Q Kids scales, indicating more impact on the patients.

conclusionsThis study provided evidence for the validity and reliability of LIMB-Q Kids. This new PROM can be used to inform research, quality improvement efforts, and clinical care. By measuring outcomes that matter most to children and adolescents with LLDs, LIMB-Q Kids can provide information to support evidence-based decisions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Indexed as

Lower ExtremityPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresAdolescentAdultChildFemaleHumansMalePsychometricsQuality of LifeReproducibility of ResultsSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultHealth-related Quality of LifeInternational studyLimb deformitiesLimb differencesLimb reconstructionPatient-reported outcomesPsychometricsQuality of life

Identifiers

PMID40617908
PMCPMC12228855

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.