Validating the Functional Capacity Index as a measure of outcome following blunt multiple trauma.
BACKGROUND
The validity of the Functional Capacity Index (FCI) is evaluated by examining its distributional characteristics, its correlation with other well-known measures of outcome and its ability to discriminate among persons with injuries of varying type and severity.


METHODS
A telephone survey which included the FCI and the SF-36 was administered 1 year post-injury to 1240 blunt trauma patients discharged from 12 trauma centers. A subsample of 656 patients also completed the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) by mail.


RESULTS
FCI scores correlated well with the physical health subscores of the SIP and SF-36. They also correlated well with self-reported change in health status and return to work. The FCI, when compared to either the SF-36 or the SIP, however, appears to discriminate better among patients according to the presence and severity of head trauma.


CONCLUSIONS
While further testing of the FCI is needed, it holds promise as a preference based measure for assessing the physical impact of trauma.
MacKenzie
E J
EJ
Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. emackenz@jhsph.edu
Sacco
W J
WJ
Luchter
S
S
Ditunno
J F
JF
Staz
C Forrester
CF
Gruen
G S
GS
Marion
D W
DW
Schwab
W C
WC
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014193:Trauma Centers; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology