Abstract
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) has been recommended as a framework for evaluation of aspects of health. The aim of this study was to compare the contents of outcome measures for upper limb prosthesis users by using the ICF. Measurement focus and psychometric properties of these measures were also investigated. Outcome measures that used upper limb prosthesis users as subjects in their development and psychometric evaluations were selected. The psychometric studies (n = 14) were reviewed and scored and the items in the measures were linked to the ICF. One measure for all ages (ACMC), five paediatric measures (CAPP-FSI, CAPP-PSI, PUFI, UBET and UNB) and two adult measures (OPUS and TAPES) were selected. The concepts extracted (n = 393) were linked to 54 categories in the ICF. The ACMC, CAPP-FSI, UBET, UNB and PUFI measure categories mostly under the ICF component ‘Activity and participation’. The TAPES and OPUS also measure ICF categories that describe the emotional and social status of a person. The main conclusion is that the use of a mixture of outcome measures would give a better picture on the aspects of our clients. Measures that focus on the social interaction in paediatric users are required.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to Dr Alarcos Cieza, the team leader at the ICF Research Branch at the Institute for Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (IHRS) in Germany, for her advice in the ICF linking process. Financial support was granted from the Research Committee of Örebro County Council and the Department of Rehabilitation, Episteme-foundation, Örebro County Council.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.