How well the ICF concepts of functioning, capacity and performance are known amongst the Finnish specialists in physical and rehabilitation medicine?

Abstract

<strong><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"> <p align="left">Purpose: To investigate how well Finnish specialists in physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) are familiar<strong><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span></strong>with ICF-based concepts of functioning, capacity, and performance.</p> <span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"> <p align="left">&nbsp;</p> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"> <p align="left">&nbsp;</p> </span></span> <p align="left"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;">Methods: </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">In February 2013, the 5-minute survey was conducted amongst participants at the annual meeting of</span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"> the Finnish Society of PRM. The 54 participants (response rate 81%) were asked to define the difference between </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">concepts of functioning and capacity/performance. They were also asked to give some examples of medical tests </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">related to these concepts. Two independent researchers evaluated the responses basing on appropriate definitions </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">presented by ICF and researchers own experience.</span></span></strong></p> <strong><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"> <p align="left">Results:</p> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"> <p align="left">&nbsp;</p> </span></span> <p align="left"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">Of respondents, 83% were able to define the concept of functioning accordingly to the ICF framework </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">as a complex relationship between health condition and contextual factors. Instead, only 24% were capable to describe concept of capacity/performance as an ability to execute single tasks in a standard or current environment. Of respondents, 40% emphasized the physical dimension of performance. Over 80% of respondents suggested at least one test for assessment of the level of performance, but only 57% introduced an example of tests for measuring limitation of functioning.</span></span></p> <strong><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"> <p align="left">Conclusions:</p> </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">The ICF-based concepts of functioning and performance were not widely used amongst Finnish </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">physicians specialized in PRM even if the responses to survey reflected the biopsychosocial way of understanding </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">the functioning</span></span><em><span style="font-family: Arial-ItalicMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-ItalicMT; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span></em></strong></strong></strong></strong></span><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: xx-small;"> <p align="left">&nbsp;</p> </span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">The ICF-based concepts of functioning and performance were not widely used amongst Finnish </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">physicians specialized in PRM even if the responses to survey reflected the biopsychosocial way of understanding </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">the functioning</span></span><em><span style="font-family: Arial-ItalicMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-ItalicMT; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span></em></strong></strong></strong></strong></span> <p align="left"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">The ICF-based concepts of functioning and performance were not widely used amongst Finnish </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">physicians specialized in PRM even if the responses to survey reflected the biopsychosocial way of understanding </span></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: ArialMT; font-size: xx-small;">the functioning</span></span><em><span style="font-family: Arial-ItalicMT; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial-ItalicMT; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span></em></p> </strong></strong></strong>