Development of an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)-based standard set to describe the impact of joint contractures on participation of older individuals in geriatric care settings.
BACKGROUND
Joint contractures are characterized as impairment of the physiological movement of joints due to deformity, disuse or pain and have major impact especially for older individuals in geriatric care. Some measures for the assessment of the impact of joint contractures exist. However, there is no consensus on which aspects should constantly be measured. Our objective was to develop a standard-set based on the ICF for describing functioning and disability in older individuals with joint contractures in geriatric care settings, giving special emphasis to activities and participation.


METHODS
The ICF-based standard set was developed in a formal decision-making and consensus process and based on an adapted version of the protocol to develop ICF Core Sets. These are sets of categories from the ICF, serving as standards for the assessment, communication and reporting of functioning and health for clinical studies, clinical encounters and multi-professional comprehensive assessment and management.


RESULTS
Twenty-three experts from Germany and Switzerland selected 105 categories of the ICF component Activities and Participation for the ICF-based standard set. The largest number of categories was selected from the chapter Mobility (50 categories, 47.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
The standard set for older individuals with joint contractures provides health professionals with a standard for describing patients' activity limitations and participation restrictions. The standard set also provides a common basis for the development of patient-centered measures and intervention programs. The preliminary version of the ICF-based standard set will be tested in subsequent studies with regard to its psychometric properties.
Faculty of Health, School of Nursing Science, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany; Institute for Health and Nursing Science, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Electronic address: gabriele.bartoszek@uni-wh.de.
Gabriele
G
Bartoszek
Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Uli
U
Fischer
Center for Geriatric Medicine, CNS-Disorders and Mobility, Klinik Haag, Haag i. OB, Germany.
Stephan Clarmann
SC
von Clarenau
Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany; German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Eva
E
Grill
Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.
Wilfried
W
Mau
Faculty of Health, School of Nursing Science, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany; Institute for Health and Nursing Science, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.
Gabriele
G
Meyer
Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Ralf
R
Strobl
Faculty of Health, Chair of Geriatrics, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany; HELIOS Clinic Cuxhaven, Department of Geriatrics, Cuxhaven, Germany.
Rüdiger
R
Thiesemann
Faculty of Health, School of Nursing Science, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.
Stephan
S
Nadolny
Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany; German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Martin
M
Müller
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D003286:Contracture / Q000145:classification* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000145:classification* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male
Activities of daily living; ICF; ICF-based standard set; Joint contracture; Older people; Social participation