title: [Suitability of the SINGER as a tool for assessment in outpatient neurological rehabilitation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The scales Barthel-Index (BI) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) are the most frequently used instruments for measurement of outcome in neurological rehabilitation. Both instruments show appropriate psychometric characteristics but there are some limitations for their use in outpatient neurorehabilitation. The "Score of Independence for Neurologic and Geriatric Rehabilitation (SINGER)" was developed to compensate the weaknesses of the established instruments and to facilitate a direct connection to the ICF. The results of the original validation study of the SINGER in an inpatient setting recommended a test of the SINGER also in an outpatient setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  The SINGER has been applied in a multicentric validation study. Patients of 17 outpatient rehabilitation centres were included consecutively. In this study patients with stroke or TBI were asked to fill in a questionnaire at 4 points of measurement. Additionally, medical staff were asked to rate the patients' status at admission and discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SINGER-data could be collected of 429 patients. In sum, results recommend to use the SINGER in outpatient neurorehabilitation, though with some restrictions. In comparison to BI and FIM, the SINGER results show in any case considerably less ceiling effects. The further exclusive use of FIM and, above all, BI cannot be recommended. But for very weak affected patients SINGER is poor sensitive for change and because SINGER is not covering all relevant aspects of rehabilitation a combined clinical use of SINGER and other assessment instruments seems to be a constructive solution.
authors: Neurologische Therapie RheinAhr - Zentrum für Rehabilitation, Nachsorge und Eingliederung, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Pöppl
authors: Institut für Sozialmedizin und Epidemiologie der Universität zu Lübeck.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Deck
authors: Hochrhein-Institut für Rehabilitationsforschung Bad Säckingen.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Gerdes
authors: MDK Sachsen e.V., Dresden.
authors: U-N
authors: UN
authors: Funke
authors: Reha-Zentrum Hess in Bietigheim-Bissingen.
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Kringler
authors: Arbeitsbereich Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie der Universität Hamburg.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Friedrich
authors: Abteilung Methoden des Instituts für Community Medicine der Universität Greifswald.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Kohlmann
authors: Neurologische Therapie RheinAhr - Zentrum für Rehabilitation, Nachsorge und Eingliederung, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Reuther
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods*; D003943:Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome