Questionnaire for usability evaluation of orthopaedic shoes: construction and reliability in patients with degenerative disorders of the foot.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a self-report questionnaire for patients with degenerative disorders of the foot to evaluate the usability of their orthopaedic shoes, and to assess the reproducibility and responsiveness of the instrument.


METHODS
Development of the Questionnaire for Usability Evaluation of orthopaedic shoes was based on a literature search, structured expert interviews and a ranking procedure. A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the reproducibility and internal consistency of the questionnaire.


METHODS
The study population comprised 15 patients with degenerative disorders of the foot, who had worn their orthopaedic shoes for at least 3 years and 15 patients with degenerative disorders of the foot, who had never worn orthopaedic shoes, but would receive them within 1 month.


RESULTS
Within the questionnaire 4 effectiveness items (pain, instability, callus, wounds), 1 efficiency item (putting on and taking off shoes) and 7 satisfaction items (pinch, slip, weight of shoes, cold feet, perspiration, maintenance, cosmetic appearance) were developed. All items in the questionnaire met the test-retest criteria. The smallest real difference ranged from 0.23 to 3.82 cm on a Visual Analogue Scale (10 cm). Cronbach's alpha's for the domains of pain and instability ranged from 0.70 to 0.92.


CONCLUSIONS
The Questionnaire for Usability Evaluation should provide a good rationale to assess the usability of orthopaedic shoes and can be considered reliable.
Jannink
Michiel J A
MJ
Roessingh Research and Development, Enschede, The Netherlands. m.jannink@rrd.nl
de Vries
Jaap
J
Stewart
Roy E
RE
Groothoff
Johan W
JW
Lankhorst
Gustaaf J
GJ
D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005530:Foot Deformities / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012775:Shoes; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires