The use of the comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health core set for stroke for chronic outpatients in three Brazilian rehabilitation facilities.
OBJECTIVE
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in Brazil. The multiple aspects of disability in these patients require proportionally comprehensive tools for their assessment. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) core set for stroke intends to comprehensively describe the experience of such patients with their functioning. This study aimed to empirically validate the ICF core set for stroke by checking the frequency of problems in each of its categories, thus verifying content validity.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study in which data were collected from clinical charts, physical examination, tests, and interviews with 132 stroke outpatients under rehabilitation and their caregivers. Categories were considered "not validated" if less than 20% of the sample would present some degree of problems in them.


RESULTS
Only 20 categories (14 body functions, 5 body structures, and 1 activity and participation) were considered not validated. Neuromusculoskeletal functions and mobility were the aspects of functioning most often described with problems. All environmental factors were qualified as facilitators or barriers and acted as modulators of disability.


CONCLUSIONS
The comprehensive ICF core sets for stroke can be used by multidisciplinary teams to classify the life experience of stroke survivors, although efforts to enable and enhance reproducibility are needed to warrant its reliable routine use.
Faculty of Medicine in Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. mriberto@usp.br
Marcelo
M
Riberto
Kathya Augusta Thomé
KA
Lopes
Lorella Marianne
LM
Chiappetta
Maria Inês Paes
MI
Lourenção
Linamara Rizzo
LR
Battistella
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires