title: Tetraplegia: update on assessment.
abstract: The overall assessment in the tetraplegic patient should be comprehensive and detailed. This paper discusses aspects of the medical and physical assessment that normally may go unrecognized but are extremely important in the outcome of the tetraplegic patient. A comprehensive classification also is provided as a new guideline for rehabilitation and surgery. Additionally, the power of [figure: see text] cultural, social, and personal dimensions of disability are illustrated and the importance of these dimensions as they relate to assessment is examined. Finally, the COPM is introduced as an outcome measure capable of crossing cultural [table: see text] boundaries and allowing for the comparison of interventions.
authors.affiliation: Hand and Microvascular Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Policlinico, Via del Pozzo 71, 41100 Modena, Italy. landi_antonio@viasilio.it
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Landi
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mulcahey
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caserta
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Della Rosa
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003286:Contracture / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D013035:Spasm / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy