RESCU System for Robust Upper Limb Prosthesis Control

Prosthesis usage time was monitored as a proxy for user satisfaction, under the assumption that when an individual is more satisfied with their prosthetic solution, they will use it more in their daily lives. For the experimental intervention, the mean daily prosthesis use duration is reported as the average number of hours the prosthesis was used daily over the evaluation period (i.e., four weeks). For the control intervention, the mean daily prosthesis use duration is reported as the average number of hours the prosthesis was used daily before the evaluation period (i.e., at baseline).

The AM-ULA is a clinician-graded measure of activity performance for adults with upper limb amputation that considers task completion, speed, movement quality, skillfulness of prosthetic use, and independence to quantify how functional an individual is while using their prosthesis. A higher score indicates overall greater prosthesis functionality.

The OPUS UEFS is a self-report questionnaire that asks respondents to score how easily they can complete several activities of daily living (e.g., drink from a paper cup, brush hair, etc.). A higher score indicates greater function.

The Psychosocial Adjustment to Amputation measure (originally modified from the TAPES-ULA) is a self-report questionnaire that asks respondents to measure how well they have adapted to life with their amputation and prosthesis. This measure was administered specifically to quantify prosthesis use and return to work. The measure contains two subscales: a 7-item Adjustment to Limitation subscale and a 9-item Work and Independence subscale. For the Adjustment to Limitation subscale, a higher score indicates greater adjustment. For the Work and Independence subscale, a higher score indicates greater feelings of dependency.

The PROMIS Satisfaction Short Form 8a is a self-report questionnaire designed to query individuals on their satisfaction with their ability to participate in social roles and activities. This measure was chosen due to its ability to capture patient satisfaction with their ability to participate in activities of daily living throughout various roles in life. A higher score indicates higher satisfaction with their ability to participate in work and home life.

Participants were queried about their experience of pain, both in their residual limb and in their phantom limb perception to detect if the choice of control strategy affects pain levels. From 0 to 10, a higher score indicates more feelings of pain.

Socket comfort score was collected to determine if outside factors (i.e., socket fit) are affecting function during the take-home period.

The range of motion of the residual joints is an important factor when judging how well a prosthesis fits a participant, with a higher joint range of motion indicating a better fitting socket. For the individuals in this study (i.e., those with below-elbow amputations), the elbow range-of-motion is expected to be most affected by a prosthesis socket with a poor fit.