Personalized Mobility Interventions Using Smart Sensor Resources for Lower-Limb Prosthesis Users

The goal of this research is to analyze data from smartphone-based and wearable sensors, using advanced machine-learning and data-mining techniques, and to combine this information with performance-based measures, participant-reported measures, and structured interviews to create a clinical toolbox to (i) identify individuals who exhibit reduced prosthesis use (compared to expected usage levels based on K-level designation and/or participant goals of community mobility and social interaction), (ii) identify prosthetic/physical and psychological factors that limit prosthesis use, and (iii) determine the effect of targeted interventions to increase prosthesis use and facilitate achievement of participant goals. Objective sensor-based measurement of home and community activities will allow for the correlation of real-world function to in-clinic assessments and to monitor changes resulting from rehabilitation interventions in real time. Machine-learning and data mining techniques will be used to identify a subset of measures from this toolbox that sensitively and accurately reflect real-world function, enabling clinicians to predict and assess activity and provide effective interventions to optimize prosthesis use. The goal of this project, to improve overall performance with respect to activities of daily living and other real-world activities, thus addresses the Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program (OPORP) Focus Area of Orthotic or Prosthetic Device Function.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Amputation
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Needs-based intervention (physical, psychological, or both)

Detailed Description

The overall goal of this research is to create a clinical toolkit to predict prosthesis use and function in the community. With this toolkit, clinicians will be able best determine an individual's K-Level designation, resulting in increased prosthesis use.

Aim 1: Determine whether a participant's prosthesis use matches the assigned K-level and/or self-reported goals and, if not, determine the reason(s) using an expert panel to evaluate data from performance-related measures, participant-reported measures, and smartphone and prosthesis sensors (clinical toolbox).

Aim 2: Quantify the effects of targeted physical intervention (prosthesis repair/refit, physical rehabilitation) or psychological intervention (motivational interviewing) or both on activity levels and patient goals.

Aim 3: Identify measure(s) that sensitively predict prosthesis use to create a clinically deployable toolkit to evaluate and optimize prosthesis use in the community.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 66
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
  • Maryland
    • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20889
      • Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55417
      • Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 87 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Unilateral or bilateral lower limb amputation at transtibial or transfemoral level
• Ability to wear and use a prosthesis
• Designated K-level 2 - 4, or equivalent
• Prescription of definitive prosthesis
• Veterans Affairs participants must receive care through the Veterans Affairs or related remote-site clinic
• Age: 18-89 years-to reflect the age range of eligible participants at Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs study sites, including young, combat-injured Service Members and healthy older Veterans, aged 70-80.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Co-morbidities that limit prosthesis use, independently of prosthetic function, training, or motivation, such as stroke, obesity, severe traumatic brain injury, and neuralgia, which require interventions outside the scope of this study. Suitability to participate in the study will be determined by the individual's physician.
• Unable or unwilling to learn to use the smartphone app or to allow transmission of study data
• Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent
• Residing in an area with poor cell phone coverage

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Not Meeting Mobility Goals; After the first three months of sensor monitoring, participants not meeting goals will receive an intervention (others will be removed from the study). The intervention assigned is not pre-determined, but will be assigned by an expert panel based on the individual needs determined from the assessment results and monitoring data. The intervention may include prosthetic care, physical therapy, motivational interviewing or other related psychological interventions, or a combination thereof. After three months of intervention, assessments are performed again and if improvement in prosthesis use is determined, participants are monitored for another three months to assess maintenance of prosthesis use (participants showing no improvement are removed from the study before these final three months of monitoring).

Other: Needs-based intervention (physical, psychological, or both); Individuals identified as having physical issues (poor prosthesis fit, function, comfort or physical conditioning) will receive prosthetic care and physical therapy. This includes adjusting socket fit, component fit and repair, and in some instances replacement. Rehabilitation strategies include gait and prosthesis use retraining, balance fall-prevention, and range-of-motion training, strengthening, pain management, and activities of daily living training, based on participant-reported mobility goals. Individuals whose prosthesis use is reduced due to psychological issues will be provided with motivational interviewing and other related psychological interventions. During these interventions participant will be asked to set personal goals using a semi-structured interview that explores facilitators and barriers to wearing their prosthesis. If both physical and psychological issues are present, participant may receive both types of interventions simultaneously.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pre-intervention:10 Meter Walk Test (10MWT)	Assesses subject walking speed in meters per second for 10 meters. Subjects will repeat each measure 3 times at their normal self-selected walking speed and 3 times at a fast speed while still able to maintain safety.	Week 12-13
Pre-intervention: 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT)	The 6 minute walk test is performed as an objective evaluation of functional exercise capacity. The test measures the distance that the patient can walk on a flat, hard surface, indoors, in a period of 6 minutes. The walk test is patient self-paced and assesses the level of functional capacity. Patients are allowed to stop and rest during the test, however, the timer does not stop. If the patient is unable to complete the time, the time stopped is noted and reason for stopping prematurely is recorded.	Week 12-13
Pre-intervention: Berg Balance Scale Test	This test is a standardized 14-item objective measure of postural stability and static balance; it is an established fall predictor in adults. Balance is measured during various tasks on a 5 point scale, ranging from 0-4. "0" indicates the lowest level of function and "4" the highest level of function, with a total possible score of 56. A score of 20 or less indicates a high fall risk.	Week 12-13
Post-intervention:10 Meter Walk Test (10MWT)	Assesses subject walking speed in meters per second for 10 meters. Subjects will repeat each measure 3 times at their normal self-selected walking speed and 3 times at a fast speed while still able to maintain safety.	Week 24-25
Post-intervention: 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT)	The 6 minute walk test is performed as an objective evaluation of functional exercise capacity. The test measures the distance that the patient can walk on a flat, hard surface, indoors, in a period of 6 minutes. The walk test is patient self-paced and assesses the level of functional capacity. Patients are allowed to stop and rest during the test, however, the timer does not stop. If the patient is unable to complete the time, the time stopped is noted and reason for stopping prematurely is recorded. This test will be administered while wearing a mask to measure oxygen consumption.	Week 24-25
Post-intervention: Berg Balance Scale Test	This test is a standardized 14-item objective measure of postural stability and static balance; it is an established fall predictor in adults. Balance is measured during various tasks on a 5 point scale, ranging from 0-4. "0" indicates the lowest level of function and "4" the highest level of function, with a total possible score of 56. A score of 20 or less indicates a high fall risk.	Week 24-25
Delayed post-intervention:10 Meter Walk Test (10MWT)	Assesses subject walking speed in meters per second for 10 meters. Subjects will repeat each measure 3 times at their normal self-selected walking speed and 3 times at a fast speed while still able to maintain safety.	Week 40-41
Delayed post-intervention: 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT)	The 6 minute walk test is performed as an objective evaluation of functional exercise capacity. The test measures the distance that the patient can walk on a flat, hard surface, indoors, in a period of 6 minutes. The walk test is patient self-paced and assesses the level of functional capacity. Patients are allowed to stop and rest during the test, however, the timer does not stop. If the patient is unable to complete the time, the time stopped is noted and reason for stopping prematurely is recorded. This test will be administered while wearing a mask to measure oxygen consumption.	Week 40-41
Delayed post-intervention: Berg Balance Scale Test	This test is a standardized 14-item objective measure of postural stability and static balance; it is an established fall predictor in adults. Balance is measured during various tasks on a 5 point scale, ranging from 0-4. "0" indicates the lowest level of function and "4" the highest level of function, with a total possible score of 56. A score of 20 or less indicates a high fall risk.	Week 40-41

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pre-intervention: Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP)	The AMP is a tool used to predict the ambulatory potential of lower limb amputees, and measure function post-rehabilitation. It was developed to provide a more objective approach to rating amputees under the various K Classifications. The test can be performed with or without the prosthesis. The test involves activities of transfers, balance and walking. Score is out of 39 with each item scored in the range of 0-2.	Week 12-13
Pre-intervention: Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (mFES)	The mFES is self-report questionnaire consisting of 14 items which is designed to measure fear of falling in the elderly. It assesses an individual's perception of balance during activities of daily living by asking "how confident are you that you can do the following activities without falling."	Week 12-13
Post-intervention: Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP)	The AMP is a tool used to predict the ambulatory potential of lower limb amputees, and measure function post-rehabilitation. It was developed to provide a more objective approach to rating amputees under the various K Classifications. The test can be performed with or without the prosthesis. The test involves activities of transfers, balance and walking. Score is out of 39 with each item scored in the range of 0-2.	Week 24-25
Post-intervention: Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (mFES)	The mFES is self-report questionnaire consisting of 14 items which is designed to measure fear of falling in the elderly. It assesses an individual's perception of balance during activities of daily living by asking "how confident are you that you can do the following activities without falling."	Week 24-25
Delayed post-intervention: Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP)	The AMP is a tool used to predict the ambulatory potential of lower limb amputees, and measure function post-rehabilitation. It was developed to provide a more objective approach to rating amputees under the various K Classifications. The test can be performed with or without the prosthesis. The test involves activities of transfers, balance and walking. Score is out of 39 with each item scored in the range of 0-2.	Week 40-41
Delayed post-intervention: Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (mFES)	The mFES is self-report questionnaire consisting of 14 items which is designed to measure fear of falling in the elderly. It assesses an individual's perception of balance during activities of daily living by asking "how confident are you that you can do the following activities without falling."	Week 40-41

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
• Collaborators: Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Arun Jayaraman, PT, PhD, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 30, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 25, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 25, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): April 29, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 16, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2023
• Last Verified: November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Smartphone; Prosthesis; Mobility; Amputation; Sensors; Amputee; Prosthetic
• Other Study ID Numbers: STU00208186

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No