scholarly journals The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: a systematic review of observational studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 437-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Castaneda ◽  
Anke Bergmann ◽  
Ligia Bahia

Objective: To systematically review the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in observational studies. Methods: This study is a systematic review of articles that use the ICF in observational studies. We took into account the observational design papers available in databases such as PubMed, Lilacs and SciELO, published in English and Portuguese from January 2001 to June 2011. We excluded those in which the samples did not comprise individuals, those about children and adolescents, and qualitative methodology articles. After reading the abstracts of 265 identified articles, 65 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 18 were excluded. The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) adapted Checklist, with 15 items needed for observational studies, was applied to the 47 remaining articles. Any paper that met 12 of these criteria was included in this systematic review. Results: 29 articles were reviewed. Regarding the ICF application methodology, the checklist was used in 31% of the articles, the core set in 31% and the ICF categories in 31%. In the remaining 7%, it was not possible to define the applied methodology. In most papers (41%), qualifiers were used in their original format. As far as the area of knowledge is concerned, most of the studies were related to Rheumatology (24%) and Orthopedics (21%). Regarding the study design, 83% of the articles used cross-sectional studies. Conclusion: Results indicate a wide scientific production related to ICF over the past 10 years. Different areas of knowledge are involved in the debate on the improvement of information on morbidity. However, there are only a few quantitative epidemiological studies involving the use of ICF. Future studies are needed to improve data related to functioning and disability.

Author(s):  
Yu-Ru Lin ◽  
Jr-Yi Wang ◽  
Shun-Cheng Chang ◽  
Kwang-Hwa Chang ◽  
Hung-Chou Chen ◽  
...  

Burn injuries cause disability and functional limitations in daily living. In a 2015 fire explosion in Taiwan, 499 young people sustained burn injuries. The construction of an effective and comprehensive rehabilitation program that enables patients to regain their previous function is imperative. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) includes multiple dimensions that can contribute to meeting this goal. An ICF core set was developed in this study for Taiwanese patients with burns. A consensus process using three rounds of the Delphi technique was employed. A multidisciplinary team of 30 experts from various institutions was formed. The questionnaire used in this study comprised 162 ICF second-level categories relevant to burn injuries. A 5-point Likert scale was used, and participants assigned a weight to the effect of each category on daily activities after burns. The consensus among ratings was assessed using Spearman’s ρ and semi-interquartile range indices. The core set for post-acute SCI was developed from categories that attained a mean score of ≥4.0 in the third round of the Delphi exercise. The core ICF set contained 68 categories. Of these, 19 comprised the component of body functions, 5 comprised body structures, 37 comprised activities and participation, and 7 comprised environmental factors. This preliminary core set offers a comprehensive system for disability assessment and verification following burn injury. The core set provides information for effective rehabilitation strategy setting for patients with burns. Further feasibility and validation studies are required in the future.


Author(s):  
Shih-Wei Huang ◽  
Yi-Wen Chen ◽  
Reuben Escorpizo ◽  
Chun-De Liao ◽  
Tsan-Hon Liou

Osteoarthritis is one of the leading causes of disability. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a surgical intervention for patients with severe osteoarthritis. Post TKA rehabilitation is crucial for improving patient’s quality of life. However, traditional rehabilitation has only focused on physical function; a systemic analysis of other dimensions such as social participation and environmental factors of post TKA rehabilitation is lacking. The aim of this study was to develop a core set from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to create a comprehensive rehabilitation program for patients with osteoarthritis post TKA. Before the Delphi-based consensus process, a literature review process was performed for related ICF categories selection. We used a three-round Delphi-based consensus among 20 physical therapists with orthopedic rehabilitation expertise in a university-based hospital. A five-point Likert scale was used to rate the importance of each item. The consensus of ratings was analyzed using Spearman’s rho and semi-interquartile range indices. The ICF core set for post TKA rehabilitation was determined based on a high level of consensus and a mean score of ≥4.0 in the third Delphi-based consensus round. The ICF core set comprised 32 categories, with 13 regarding body function, four regarding body structures, nine regarding activities and participation, four regarding environmental factors, and two regarding personal factors. Our ICF core set for post TKA rehabilitation can provide information on effective rehabilitation strategies and goal setting for patients post TKA. However, further validation and feasibility assessments are warranted.


Hand Therapy ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 58-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Kus ◽  
Caroline Dereskewitz ◽  
Maryam Wickert ◽  
Martina Schwab ◽  
Andreas Eisenschenk ◽  
...  

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