title: Feasibility and acceptability of the COOP/WONCA charts for identification of functional limitations in rural patients of the People's Republic of China.
abstract: The aim of this study was to test whether the COOP/WONCA Charts could help doctors in three specialty outpatient clinics of Hebei Provincial Hospital, China to identify functional limitations in rural patients and promote more patient-centred care. In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, a sample of 113 rural patients from Hebei Province attending outpatient Neurology, Orthopaedic and Cancer clinics completed the COOP/WONCA Charts. The 80 rural patients who indicated significant functional difficulty and 11 doctors then responded to questionnaires to determine perceived usefulness and satisfaction with use of the COOP/WONCA Charts. Respondents remained blind to the other's responses. A focus group interview was conducted to expand overall views on perceived advantages and disadvantages of the charts. Of the 113 patients completing the COOP/WONCA Charts, 71% (n = 80) were considered to report significant difficulty on at least one chart. Fifty-six per cent of patients rated themselves as having significant functional problems in physical fitness and 65% for daily activities. In contrast, a response indicating 'no or little limitation or effect' was given regarding patients' feelings and/or participation in social activities by 75% of patients in all three clinics. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of patients with functional impairment between the three clinics when analysed using a Chi-square test. Over 90% of doctors and patients perceived the COOP/WONCA Charts as helpful with 'increased communication' as an outstanding benefit. This study has shown the COOP/WONCA Charts to be feasible and useful tools: to help identify functional limitations in Chinese outpatients; to trigger a more functionally focused patient-centred model of practice; and to encourage appropriate referrals to existing rehabilitation efforts in large Chinese hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D005194:Family Practice / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires