A team approach to applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Rehabilitation set in clinical evaluation.

Abstract

ObjectiveTo develop a team approach to applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Rehabilitation Set (ICF-RS) in clinical evaluation.DesignA Delphi study.SubjectsExperts from rehabilitation institutions in China including physicians, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.MethodsA 2-round Delphi survey and expert panel discussion were used to generate the team approach. Firstly, the candidate types of professionals for team rating were chosen through expert panel discussion. A carefully selected group of participants was then asked to score the suitability of physicians, nurses, or other candidate therapists for each category’s rating, applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Rehabilitation Set in clinical evaluation. After initial assignment of category to types of professionals, a second round Delphi survey was conducted to quantify the professionals’ agreement with the category assignments and generate a final team evaluation approach.ResultsThirty of the category assignments achieved consensus. The final team evaluation approach assigned 6 categories to physicians to evaluate, 7 categories to nurses, 9 categories to physiotherapists, and 8 to occupational therapists.ConclusionSuch a team evaluation approach could facilitate implementation of the ICF-RS in clinical settings and provide a more convenient assessment tool for professionals.LAY ABSTRACTAs the Chinese International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Rehabilitation Set became widely used in rehabilitation institutions in China, it was found to be timeconsuming and inefficient for a single rater to complete the entire evaluation in a single setting. Team evaluation provides an alternative team approach for busy professionals, especially when used to evaluate patients with complex problems or poor communication ability. The whole set of 30 evaluation categories was divided among a hypothetical team consisting of a physician, a nurse, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist, with 6 categories assigned to the physician, 7 to the nurse, 9 to the physiotherapist, and 8 to the occupational therapist. Each professional in the team rated categories closely related to their daily work. The team evaluation approach promises to better share the evaluation workload, perhaps improving the accuracy of evaluations and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration in the clinic.