The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in Electronic Health Records. A Systematic Literature Review

Upper-Limb Functional Recovery in Chronic Stroke Patients after COVID-19-Interrupted Rehabilitation: An Observational Study

Background/Objectives: Upper-limb function of chronic stroke patients declined when outpatient rehabilitation was interrupted and outings restricted, owing to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic. We investigated whether these patients recovered upper-limb function post-resumption of outpatient rehabilitation. Methods: In this observational study, 43 chronic stroke hemiparesis patients with impaired upper extremity function were scored for limb function via the Fugl-Meyer assessment of the upper extremity (FMA-UE) and the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) after a structured interview, evaluation, and intervention. Scores at 6 and 3 months pre- and 3 months post-rehabilitation interruption were examined retrospectively; scores immediately and at 3 and 6 months post-resumption of care were examined prospectively. The amount of change for each time period and an analysis of covariance were performed with time as a factor, changes in the FMA-UE and the ARAT scores as dependent variables, and statistical significance at 5%. Results: The time of evaluation significantly impacted the total score, as well as part C and part D of FMA-UE and total, pinch, and gross movement of the ARAT. Post-hoc tests showed that the magnitude of change in limb-function scores from immediately to 3 months post-resumption was significantly higher than the change from 3 months pre- to immediately post-interruption for the total score and part D of the FMA-UE, as well as grip and gross movement of the ARAT (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Upper-limb functional decline in chronic stroke patients, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic-related therapy interruption and outing restrictions, was resolved approximately 3 months post-resumption of rehabilitation therapy. Our data can serve as reference standards for planning and evaluating treatment for chronic stroke patients with inactivity-related impaired upper-limb function.

ICF framework in cardiac rehabilitation: a real-life implementation in post-cardiac surgery and chronic heart failure patients

BACKGROUND

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) is growing in importance in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) as the number of elderly comorbid patients increases.

AIM

To classify through the ICF framework a group of post-cardiac surgery (CS) and chronic heart failure (CHF) patients undergoing rehabilitation. Then, to compare the two groups and identify possible factors at admission that could affect ICF evaluations at discharge.

DESIGN

Observational retrospective real-life study.

SETTING

Two inpatient CR units.

POPULATION

Consecutive CS and CHF patients admitted for CR (January-December 2019).

METHODS

Clinical, anthropometric data and functional status at admission and discharge were extracted from patient health records. A set of 26 ICF codes regarding body functions (b) and activities (d) was analyzed to identify: 1) the qualifiers attributed (from 0=no impairment to 4=severe impairment) for each code, 2) the percent distribution of qualifiers (0/1/2/3/4) attributed per patient. We then evaluated changes in both (1) and (2 - defined as ICF Delta%) from admission to discharge.

RESULTS

All patients (55% males; mean age 73±12 years) showed an improvement post-rehabilitation in the ICF qualifiers attributed (P<0.0001 for all codes). CS patients (N.=150) were less functionally impaired at admission than CHF (N.=194) (P<0.05 for all codes), and at discharge showed greater Delta% in the qualifiers 0/1/2 attributed than CHF (P<0.0001 for b codes; P<0.05 for d codes). Delta% for qualifiers 3 and 4 was similar in the two groups. No impairment at admission (qualifier 0), CS group, and presence/complexity of comorbidities were identified as possible covariates influencing ICF qualifiers at discharge, impacting the rate of both no/mild impairment (ICF% aggregate 0+1 - adjusted R2=0.627; P<0.0001) and moderate impairment (ICF% qualifier 2 - adjusted R2=0.507; P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

CHF patients showed a worse ICF picture at admission and less improvement at discharge than CS. The presence and complexity of comorbidities negatively influenced the ICF classification at discharge, especially in CHF patients.

CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT

This study shows the utility of ICF classification in CR as a means for describing, measuring, and comparing patient functioning across the care continuum.

A feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial as a first step towards evaluating the effectiveness of a digital health dashboard in preventive child health care: a mixed methods approach

BACKGROUND

Within preventive Child Health Care (CHC), the 360°CHILD-profile has been developed. This digital tool visualises and theoretically orders holistic health data in line with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. It is anticipated that evaluating the effectiveness of the multifunctional 360°CHILD-profile within the preventive CHC-context is complex. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the feasibility of RCT procedures and the applicability of potential outcome measures for assessing the accessibility and transfer of health information.

METHODS

During the first introduction of the 360°CHILD-profile in CHC practice, a feasibility RCT with an explanatory-sequential mixed methods design was executed. CHC professionals (n=38) recruited parents (n=30) who visited the CHC for their child (age 0-16). Parents were randomised to "care as usual" (n=15) or "care as usual with, in addition, the availability of a personalised 360°CHILD-profile during 6 months" (n=15). Quantitative data on RCT feasibility were collected on recruitment, retention, response, compliance rates and outcome data on accessibility and transfer of health information (n=26). Subsequently, thirteen semi-structured interviews (5 parents, 8 CHC professionals) and a member check focus group (6 CHC professionals) were performed to further explore and gain a deeper understanding of quantitative findings.

RESULTS

Integration of qualitative and quantitative data revealed that the recruitment of parents by CHC professionals was problematic and influenced by organisational factors. The used randomisation strategy, interventions and measurements were executable within the setting of this specific study. The outcome measures showed skewed outcome data in both groups and a low applicability to measure accessibility and transfer of health information. The study revealed points to reconsider regarding the randomisation and recruitment strategy and measures in the next steps.

CONCLUSIONS

This mixed methods feasibility study enabled us to gain a broad insight into the feasibility of executing an RCT within the CHC context. Trained research staff should recruit parents instead of CHC professionals. Measures, potentially for evaluating 360°CHILD-profile's effectiveness, need further exploration and thorough piloting before proceeding with the evaluation process. Overall findings revealed that executing an RCT within the context of evaluating 360°CHILD-profile's effectiveness in the CHC setting will be much more complex, time-consuming and costly than expected. Thereby, the CHC context requires a more complex randomisation strategy than executed during this feasibility study. Alternative designs including mixed methods research must be considered for the next phases of the downstream validation process.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NTR6909; https://trialsearch.who.int/ .

Knowledge and use of the International Classification of Functioning, disability and health (ICF) and ICF Core Sets for musculoskeletal conditions among saudi physical therapists

BACKGROUND

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) provides a coherent biopsychosocial view of health states. The ICF Core Sets were developed to facilitate and encourage the use of the ICF in clinical practice and research.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the level of knowledge and use of the ICF and ICF Core Sets for musculoskeletal conditions among Saudi physical therapists.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHOD

We approached Saudi physical therapists (PTs) involved in managing patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Data were collected through an electronic survey consisting of multiple-choice questions related to the knowledge of the ICF, general ICF Core Sets and ICF Core Sets for musculoskeletal conditions.

RESULTS

A total of 203 PTs participated in this study. Seventy percent of PTs knew about the meaning of ICF, but only 33% recognized aspects of the ICF. For the osteoarthritis (OA) ICF Core Set, 71.9% had poor knowledge, and for the low back pain (LBP) ICF Core Set, 61.8% had poor knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

The Saudi PTs surveyed in this study had a good level of knowledge about the meaning of the ICF; however, this knowledge appeared to be limited when they were asked about aspects of the ICF. They had poor knowledge of musculoskeletal ICF Core Sets but seemed to be more familiar with the LBP ICF Core Set compared to the OA ICF Core Set.

Short and long-term effects of robot-assisted therapy on upper limb motor function and activity of daily living in patients post-stroke: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective

To investigate the effect of robot-assisted therapy (RAT) on upper limb motor control and activity function in poststroke patients compared with that of non-robotic therapy.

Methods

We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and Scopus. Randomized controlled trials published from 2010 to nowadays comparing the effect of RAT and control treatment on upper limb function of poststroke patients aged 18 or older were included. Researchers extracted all relevant data from the included studies, assessed the heterogeneity with inconsistency statistics (I² statistics), evaluated the risk of bias of individual studies and performed data analysis.

Result

Forty-six studies were included. Meta-analysis showed that the outcome of the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity assessment (FM-UE) (SMD = 0.20, P = 0.001) and activity function post intervention was significantly higher (SMD = 0.32, P < 0.001) in the RAT group than in the control group. Differences in outcomes of the FM-UE and activity function between the RAT group and control group were observed at the end of treatment and were not found at the follow-up. Additionally, the outcomes of the FM-UE (SMD = 0.15, P = 0.005) and activity function (SMD = 0.32, P = 0.002) were significantly different between the RAT and control groups only with a total training time of more than 15 h. Moreover, the differences in outcomes of FM-UE and activity post intervention were not significant when the arm robots were applied to patients with severe impairments (FM-UE: SMD = 0.14, P = 0.08; activity: SMD = 0.21, P = 0.06) or when patients were provided with patient-passive training (FM-UE: SMD = − 0.09, P = 0.85; activity: SMD = 0.70, P = 0.16).

Conclusion

RAT has the significant immediate benefits for motor control and activity function of hemiparetic upper limb in patients after stroke compared with controls, but there is no evidence to support its long-term additional benefits. The superiority of RAT in improving motor control and activity function is limited by the amount of training time and the patients' active participation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12984-022-01058-8.

Rehabilitation Through Physical Activity and Sport in Light of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health–Current Research Perspectives

The implementation of functioning by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the third global health indicator, along with mortality and morbidity, represents a promising advancement for a comprehensive assessment of international health systems and health strategies. The description of a person's health state operationalized by both biological and lived health via functioning provides a holistic picture of an individual's life situation and proved to be successful in building a framework for formulating therapy goals, achievable activities, and participational aspects against the background of an individual's life situation. Furthermore, improving an individual's functional ability and wellbeing could potentially affect the health indicators of morbidity and mortality and will be codable beyond the ICF in ICD-11. This methodological perspective emphasizes the use of ICF applications on the wider and narrower level of international rehabilitation systems and highlights the incorporation of the term functioning in rehabilitation through physical activity and sport. Current research perspectives in applying the ICF and functioning in clinical and rehabilitation practices are discussed and a current explorative study is presented, which applies the holistic orientation of functioning and the biopsychosocial model to the specific case by an individualized sports coaching intervention in rehabilitation. Subsequently, a unifying ICF- oriented language in rehabilitation is considered as a powerful foundation for a consistent international research strategy concerning increased international collaborations and future research perspectives.

Assessment of CVD Risk Factors in Secondary Prevention after Ischemic Stroke Using the ICF

Background: Patients after undergoing ischemic stroke have a high risk of further cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidents. Monitoring risk factors is critical to prevent the recurrence of CVD. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine differences in the incidence of risk factors for CVD in a post-ischemic stroke patient group (SG) compared to the control group, which had not undergone ischemic stroke (CG), and to characterize them using the ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) classification system. Materials and Methods: The incidence of risk factors for recurrent CVD events were retrospectively analyzed in 55 patients in SG and 55 patients in CG. The results were translated into categories from the ICF classification system. Results: Atrial fibrillation (p = 0.013), carotid artery stenosis > 50% (p < 0.001), LDL > 71 mg/dL (p < 0.001), heart rate > 80/min (p = 0.007), taking NOAC (p = 0.008) and NSAIDs (p < 0.001) as well as nicotinism (p = 0.001) were significantly more common in SG compared to CG. The value of the distribution of the total incidence of CVD risk factors were observed to be higher for SG than for CG. In SG, both for males (p < 0.001) and females (p < 0.001) more risk factors for recurrent CVD incidents were observed compared to CG. Conclusions: Patients in SG differ in the occurrence of risk factors for CVD event compared to CG. The use of a single tool, such as the ICF assessment sheet, can be useful in assessing and analyzing risk factors for recurrent CVD events. This may help to reduce the risk of subsequent CVD events in secondary prevention.

Measuring Equine-Assisted Therapy: Validation and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of an ICF-Based Standardized Assessment-Tool

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization (WHO) was established as an international framework for monitoring rehabilitation outcomes and the impacts of health interventions since, as the term “functioning” implies, it emphasizes a person’s “lived health” in addition to their biological health status. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) represents a holistic intervention approach that aims to improve both biomedical functioning and the patient’s lived health in relation to performing activities and participating in social situations. In this study, the psychometric properties of an ICF-based digital assessment tool for the measurement of the rehabilitation impacts of EAT were analyzed via simultaneous confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and reliability and sensitivity tests. In total, 265 patients from equine-assisted therapy centers in Germany were included for CFA. Change sensitivity was assessed via multi-level analyses based on 876 repeated assessments by 30 therapists. Results show satisfactory model-fit statistics; McDonald’s omega (ML) showed excellent scores for the total scale (ω = 0.96) and three subscales (ω = 0.95; ω = 0.95, ω = 0.93). The tool proved itself to be change sensitive and reliable (change sensitivity p ≤ 0.001), retest r = 0.745 **, p ≤ 0.001). Overall, the developed assessment tool satisfactorily fulfills psychometric requirements and can be applied in therapeutic practice.

Integrating a New Dietetic Care Process in a Health Information System: A System and Process Analysis and Assessment

Managing routinely collected data in health care and public health is important for evaluation of interventions and answering research questions using “real life” and ”big data”. In addition to the technical requirements of information systems, both standardized terminology and standardized processes are needed. The aim of this project was to analyse and assess the integration of standardized terminology and document templates for a dietetic care process (DCP) into the health information system (HIS) in a hospital in Austria. Using an action research approach, the DCP was analysed through four expert interviews and the integration into the HIS through two expert interviews with observations. Key strengths and weaknesses for the main criteria (“integration of the ICF catalogue”, “adaption of the document templates”, “adaption of the DCP”, and the “adaption of the user authorizations”) were presented and proposals for improvement given. The system and process integration of the DCP is possible, and the document templates can be adapted with the software currently in use. Although an increase in resources and finances required is to be expected initially, the integration of a standardized dietetic terminology in combination with a standardized process is likely to improve the quality of care and support outcomes management and research.

The potential of prediction models of functioning remains to be fully exploited: A scoping review in the field of spinal cord injury rehabilitation

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to explore existing prediction models of functioning in spinal cord injury (SCI).

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

The databases PubMed, EBSCOhost CINAHL Complete, and IEEE Xplore were searched for relevant literature. The search strategy included published search filters for prediction model and impact studies, index terms and keywords for SCI, and relevant outcome measures able to assess functioning as reflected in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The search was completed in October 2020.

RESULTS

We identified seven prediction model studies reporting twelve prediction models of functioning. The identified prediction models were mainly envisioned to be used for rehabilitation planning, however, also other possible applications were stated. The method predominantly used was regression analysis and the investigated predictors covered mainly the ICF-components of body functions and activities and participation, next to characteristics of the health condition and health interventions.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that the development of prediction models of functioning for use in clinical practice remains to be fully exploited. By providing a comprehensive overview of what has been done, this review informs future research on prediction models of functioning in SCI and contributes to an efficient use of research evidence.

Designing a Personalized Health Dashboard: Interdisciplinary and Participatory Approach

Background

Within the Dutch Child Health Care (CHC), an online tool (360° CHILD-profile) is designed to enhance prevention and transformation toward personalized health care. From a personalized preventive perspective, it is of fundamental importance to timely identify children with emerging health problems interrelated to multiple health determinants. While digitalization of children’s health data is now realized, the accessibility of data remains a major challenge for CHC professionals, let alone for parents/youth. Therefore, the idea was initiated from CHC practice to develop a novel approach to make relevant information accessible at a glance.

Objective

This paper describes the stepwise development of a dashboard, as an example of using a design model to achieve visualization of a comprehensive overview of theoretically structured health data.

Methods

Developmental process is based on the nested design model with involvement of relevant stakeholders in a real-life context. This model considers immediate upstream validation within 4 cascading design levels: Domain Problem and Data Characterization, Operation and Data Type Abstraction, Visual Encoding and Interaction Design, and Algorithm Design. This model also includes impact-oriented downstream validation, which can be initiated after delivering the prototype.

Results

A comprehensible 360° CHILD-profile is developed: an online accessible visualization of CHC data based on the theoretical concept of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. This dashboard provides caregivers and parents/youth with a holistic view on children’s health and “entry points” for preventive, individualized health plans.

Conclusions

Describing this developmental process offers guidance on how to utilize the nested design model within a health care context.