title: The PaArticular Scales - A new outcome measure to quantify the impact of joint contractures on activities and participation in individuals in geriatric care: Development and Rasch analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Joint contractures are frequent conditions in individuals in geriatric care settings and are associated with activity limitations and participation restrictions. As such, relevant intervention programs should address these aspects, and the effectiveness of such programs should be determined by assessing improvement in activities and participation. However, no patient-centred and psychometrically sound outcome measures for this purpose are available so far.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of this study were to develop and to validate a new outcome measure, the PaArticular Scales, to quantify activities and participation in older individuals with joint contractures. Specific aims were (A) to operationalize the content of an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-based standard set towards meaningful questions and to combine them to a questionnaire and (B) to assess the psychometric properties of the developed questionnaire, in detail to evaluate test-retest reliability, objectivity, internal consistency reliability and criterion validity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Operationalization was reached by an expert consensus conference and a subsequent expert Delphi survey. Psychometric properties were assessed in a cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nursing homes, geriatric rehabilitation facilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  23 experts (nurses, physicians, physical and occupational therapists) participated in the consensus conference and the Delphi survey. A total of 191 individuals with joint contractures (as confirmed by physician, nurse or physical therapist) between 65 and 102 years, living in nursing homes or as patients in geriatric rehabilitation were enrolled in the cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rasch Partial Credit Modelling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The consensus conference and Delphi survey resulted in a questionnaire with 86 items of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Test-retest-reliability among those was acceptable (Cohen's weighted kappa: 0.779). The Rasch analysis revealed two independent interval-scaled scales with 24 items for the Activities scale and 11 items for the Participation scale with high internal consistency reliability. Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 for the Activities scale and 0.92 for the Participation scale. Criterion validity was -0.40 and -0.30 for the Activities scale and for the Participation scale, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PaArticular Scales, a new patient-centred and psychometric sound outcome measures to comprehensively assess the impact of joint contractures in geriatric care, are available now. These developed scales will serve as primary outcomes in a scheduled evaluation of a complex intervention to improve participation and quality of life in nursing home residents with joint contractures.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany; Faculty of Applied Health and Social Sciences, Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences, Rosenheim, Germany. Electronic address: martin.mueller@fh-rosenheim.de.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Research Unit for Biopsychosocial Health, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oberhauser
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Uli
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Science, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany; Institute of Health and Nursing Science, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bartoszek
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Nursing Science, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saal
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Strobl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Nursing Science, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grill
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003286:Contracture / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care
keywords: Consensus development conferences as topic; Contracture; Delphi technique; Disability evaluation; International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health; Nursing home; Patient outcome assessment; Rasch analysis; Social participation