Outcome indicators in the transitional care of people with spinal cord injury in China: a Delphi survey based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health

Abstract

Objective: To identify the categories of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health most suitable as outcome indicators in the transitional care for people with spinal cord injury in China.

Methods: A three-round Delphi survey was conducted surveying 37 experts selected through purposive sampling. In the first round, each expert was required to suggest the most useful indicators in the transitional care for spinal cord injury patients. Categories of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health were linked with the concepts extracted from the responses. In the second round, the experts were asked to make a yes/no judgment about the utility of those categories as outcome indicators and to rate their importance from 1 to 10. In the third round, the experts were asked to re-judge and re-rate the importance considering the second-round results.

Results: Forty-one categories, seven personal factors, and three concepts not covered in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health were identified. They generated agreement percentages over 80% in the third round. The means of the importance ratings ranged from 5.15 to 9.52.

Conclusions: A set of categories and concepts was identified in the Delphi survey based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. They provided a reference and a basis for establishing a system of outcome indicators in the transitional care for patients with spinal cord injury in China.

Implications for rehabilitation

• In China, the people with spinal cord injury who live at home after discharge urgently need professional transitional care which can be extended from medical institutions to families.

• The categories and concepts identified by the Delphi survey based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health reflect the focuses in the transitional care of people with spinal cord injury in China.

• Those categories and concepts provide a reference and a basis for establishing a system of outcome indicators in the transitional care for patients with spinal cord injury in China.

Keywords:

• International Classification of Functioning
• Disability and Health
• spinal cord injuries
• transitional care
• outcome measures
• China

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express special thanks to all the participants in the survey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant 71603293].