Operation RESTORE (Rehabilitative Evaluation, Surgery and Transplant Options for Restoration): Evaluating Quality of Life Outcome Indicators in Veterans with Combat-Acquired Severe Soft Tissue Loss

Statement of Need/Purpose of Project: There is an undeniable and prominent need for reconstructive options for military personnel who have sustained severe tissue loss in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. While Reconstructive transplantation (RT) is not specifically a life-saving procedure, it very well might have the ability to positively affect patients’ quality of (QOL). At Northwestern, we (i.e., Dr. Jensen and her research team) recently published a systematic review of QOL outcomes for upper limb transplant and concluded that the existing literature is limited by : (1) the QOL instruments used; (2) the lack of published prospective QOL data, both pre- and post-transplant; and (3) the need to better understand the aspects of QOL that reconstructive transplantation candidates view as most important. Given the potential risk and benefits of RT, we propose to develop and examine the initial validity of a standardized , methodologically-rigorous, patient-centered QOL assessment tool for potential RT recipients, using previously established measurement development methodology.