The Bristol Foot Score

Abstract

We sought to develop a patient-centered foot-health assessment tool by conducting in-depth interviews, focus groups, and surveys of relevant patient groups. A total of 400 hospital- and community-based podiatric patients took part in the development of the Bristol Foot Score, which was refined from a 41-item self-administered questionnaire to one containing 15 items. Podiatric patients easily understood the final questionnaire, and rates of completion were excellent. Overall reliability was high (Cronbach alpha = .9036), and application of the Bland and Altman technique suggested that the foot score produced stable measurements over time. Statistically significant differences were detected in scores before and after toenail surgery, indicating that the Bristol Foot Score is sensitive to change. A poor level of concordance was found between the Bristol Foot Score and a Chiropody Assessment Criteria Score routinely used by podiatrists to assess the need for podiatric care. The Bristol Foot Score reflects patients' perceptions of their own foot health, providing a useful additional tool for evaluating the efficacy of interventions and describing foot health within populations.

A comparison of customised and prefabricated insoles to reduce risk factors for neuropathic diabetic foot ulceration: a participant‐blinded randomised controlled trial

“…The Bristol Foot Score is designed to measure an individual’s perception of foot health, including changes over time [18]. It contains 15 items grouped into 3 components; (i) concerns about feet and pain, (ii) footwear and general health, and (iii) mobility.…”

How Footwear Is Assessed in Patient Reported Measures for People with Arthritis: A Scoping Review

“…Eleven PROM studies met the inclusion criteria (Appendix S1), five of which were designed for use in disease‐specific populations and six designed for generic use, commonly applied in arthritis populations . The disease‐specific studies included four studies designed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) populations, and one in tophaceous gout .…”

“…Items on footwear and foot pain were included in four PROMs and related to pain associated with wearing footwear. Items relating to impairment and function were included in four of the PROMs and contained content related to how disease‐related deformity affected footwear use, usability, and how the use of footwear affected activities of daily living. Impairment and function content items also related to availability of suitable footwear that was accommodative of their deformity and the putting on and taking off of footwear.…”

“…Impairment and function content items also related to availability of suitable footwear that was accommodative of their deformity and the putting on and taking off of footwear. Shoe‐specific characteristics were included in four PROMs that contained items related to comfort, fit, and choice . Four of the PROMs contained psychosocial content items that included items relating to footwear experiences, self‐consciousness, and feelings associated with loss of footwear choice …”

“…A variety of response scales were used within the included PROMs. Adjectival response scales were most commonly used, contained in four of the included PROMs . Adjectival response scales varied from three to six points and response content was varied, including scales of agreement, perceived difficulty, and frequency/timing.…”