Reliability of the Foot Function Index: A Report of the AOFAS Outcomes Committee

Abstract

The FFI appears to be a reasonable tool for low functioning individuals with foot disorders. It may not be appropriate for individuals who function at or above the level of independent activities of daily living.

Which Are the Most Frequently Used Outcome Instruments in Studies on Total Ankle Arthroplasty?

“…Although, in the meantime, numerous studies broadened its use to the entire spectrum of foot and ankle à positive rating for the pain subscale, negative ratings for the limitation and disability subscales; 0 = no information available; 1 = Level 1 rating; 2 = Level 2 rating; 3 = Level 3 rating; + = positive rating; À = negative rating; MCID = minimal clinically important difference; AOFAS = American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society; FFI = foot function index; AOS = Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale; NJOH = New Jersey Orthopaedic Hospital ankle score; ''Oxford'' = questionnaire developed by the authors, modeled to the validated Oxford Hip Score [7]. disorders, included patient perceptions, and adapted the instrument for use in different languages [1,24,30,36,38,46], several limitations of this instrument have been highlighted, resulting in a recently performed extensive revision of this questionnaire based on Rasch analysis [3]. Although we found reasonable ratings in terms of the different quality criteria for the FFI, the above-mentioned studies resulted in at least five different FFI versions (FFI original, FFI-R long, FFI-R short, FFI-D, FFI-5pt) and its use in patients having TAA, therefore, can be recommended only cautiously.…”

“…Our systematic review, therefore, addressed the following questions: (1) Which are the most frequently used outcome instruments in studies reporting on TAA? (2) Does the literature provide evidence to support their use in terms of validity, reliability, responsiveness, and interpretability?…”

Stakeholders in Outcome Measures: Review From a Clinical Perspective

“…Ankle-Hindfoot Rating [54] Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale [26] Foot and Ankle Ability Measure [1,86] Revised Foot Function Index [14,78] Adult -Upper Extremity DASH [46] Oxford Shoulder Score [21,22] American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Shoulder Form [77] Oxford Elbow Score [19,20] American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Elbow Form [53] Adult -Spine AAOS / North American Spine Society (NASS) Spine Form [16] Oswestry Disability Index [30] Pediatric -Musculoskeletal Function Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America / Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) [17] KOOS -Child [70] Pedi-IKDC [55] Volume 471, Number 11, November 2013 Clinical Perspective on Outcome Measures 3429 research effort well before the study commences. Collecting data without a clearly defined research objective or specific questions always leads to a failed project and wasted time and resources.…”

Lower Extremity-Specific Measures of Disability and Outcomes in Orthopaedic Surgery

“…The initial validation study was performed in a group of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and further reliability testing has been performed in a general population of patients with a foot disorder 73,76,104,105 . The measure contains twenty-three items in three subscales that are scored to a maximum of 100 points.…”