Identification of relevant ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) categories in lymphedema patients: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background . To describe functioning and health of lymphedema patients and to identify their most common problems using the International Classifi cation of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as part of the preparatory studies for the development of ICF Core Sets for lymphedema. Methods . Cross-sectional study in a population of lymphedema patients (n ϭ 200), undergoing treatment in a Dutch lymphedema-specialized hospital. The second-level categories of the ICF were used to collect information on patients ' problems in daily functioning. Results . The mean age of the study group was 56 years (22 -84). In total 78.5% of the patients were female. The most frequent mentioned items were: In the Body Functions component: muscle power and mobility of joints, in the Activities and Participation component: doing housework, and changing and maintaining a body position, in the Environmental Factors: Health professionals, who can act as both facilitators and barriers. Interestingly, patients assessed their health more positively than health professionals do. Conclusion . By using the ICF, a considerable part of the broad spectrum of problems in functioning of lymphedema patients was reported.

An international clinical study of ability and disability in ADHD using the WHO-ICF framework

“…Although a scoring of "1" would be enough to classify a specific aspect of functioning or environmental factor as "mildly impaired/barrier/facilitator", a more conservative cut-off was chosen to avoid margins of error (e.g., a specific challenge might exist in daily life, but not be significantly impairing enough to affect functioning level). The choice of a 10% cut-off was based on results from previous ICF clinical studies [45], and it was also used for ratings indicating strengths. Absolute (n) and relative (%) frequencies of difficulties and strengths are reported.…”

Validation of the Lymphoedema Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (LYMQOL) in Dutch Patients Diagnosed with Lymphoedema of the Lower Limbs

“…Recently, a Dutch ICF working group agreed on the ICF core sets for lymphoedema. [45][46][47][48] Devoogdt et al 44 developed an ICF-based questionnaire in a Dutch population of lymphoedema of the lower legs. This questionnaire is complementary to the LYMQOL: whereas the ICF emphasizes the impact of the disease on patients' functioning, the LYMQOL focuses on other items of quality of life, such as its impact on daily activities, emotions and body image.…”

An International Clinical Study of Ability and Disability in Autism Spectrum Disorder Using the WHO-ICF Framework

“…Although a scoring of “1” would be enough to classify a specific aspect of functioning or environmental factor as “mildly impaired/barrier/facilitator”, a more conservative cut-off was chosen to avoid margins of error (e.g., a specific problem might exist in daily life, but not be significantly impairing enough to affect functioning level). The choice of a 10% cut-off was based on results from previous ICF clinical studies (e.g., Vierhoff et al 2015 ). The same cut-off was also applied to ratings that indicated above-average skills (strengths).…”