Functional status in patients with spinal cord injury: a new standardized measurement scale. Gruppo Interdisciplinare Valutazione Interventi Riabilitativi.
OBJECTIVE
To report on the validation process of a new functional assessment scale (Valutazione Funzionale Mielolesi [VFM]) for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).


METHODS
Prospective study testing for the VFM in a sample of patients with SCI to evaluate the scale characteristics in terms of psychometric and clinical validity.


METHODS
Eight SCI units located in northern Italy.


METHODS
One hundred patients were recruited and followed up for 18 months. Seventy-seven subjects were men, subjects' mean age was 37 years, 67 were paraplegic, and for 81 their SCI was of traumatic etiology.


METHODS
VFM's characteristics are described using estimates of construct and criterion validity (estimates of the strength and direction of associations between different VFM tasks and between VFM and other medical and nonmedical variables). The Barthel index was used as concurrent and independent measure.


RESULTS
VFM met all psychometric criteria usually recommended and, at least in the current sample, was found to be strongly correlated with independent clinical variables (diagnosis and lesion level) and with the Barthel index. Moreover, most of the domains were able to document large and significant changes over time.


CONCLUSIONS
VFM is a reliable and valid tool that can be used confidently in the rehabilitation setting for patients with SCI to screen for functional problems and monitor changes in patients' functional status and impact of rehabilitation.
Taricco
M
M
Unità Spinale Azienda G. Salvini, Ospedale di Passirana di Rho, MI, Italy.
Apolone
G
G
Colombo
C
C
Filardo
G
G
Telaro
E
E
Liberati
A
A
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*