Abstract
The development of a comprehensive assessment tool based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) for elderly patients with heart failure is urgently required. In this study, we classified the ICF categories relevant to heart failure in the elderly through a Delphi survey (3-step questionnaire survey) of 108 Registered Instructors of Cardiac Rehabilitation in the Hiroshima Prefecture. Questionnaires were conducted using postal mail or a web-based platform. The survey was conducted three times, and the survey results were provided as feedback to the participants in the second and third rounds. More than 80% of the respondents selected categories according to the ICF core set methodology. Data were collected from December 2018 to March 2019, with 67, 54, and 46 participants in the first, second, and third rounds, respectively. A total of 58 ICF items were adopted based on the results: 27 body function items, 4 body structure items, 20 activity and participation items, and 7 environmental factor items. This study is characterised by the inclusion of a large number of ICF items for mental function. This result seems to be influenced by the increasing interest in cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with heart failure. The ICF categories selected for this study allow for a comprehensive assessment of clients for occupational therapy. The findings of this study are expected to provide a basis for an outcome measure to determine the effectiveness of occupational therapy for these patients.
Highlights
The elderly population with heart failure is increasing globally with the increase in the aging population, and the number of patients with heart failure is estimated to exceed1.3 million by 2030 in Japan [1]
Previous studies have shown that approximately 35% of patients with heart failure are rehospitalised within 1 year [2]
The 58 ICF categories consisted of 27 body function items, 4 body structure items, 20 activity and participation items, and 7 environmental factor items
Summary
The elderly population with heart failure is increasing globally with the increase in the aging population, and the number of patients with heart failure is estimated to exceed1.3 million by 2030 in Japan [1]. Previous studies have shown that approximately 35% of patients with heart failure are rehospitalised within 1 year [2]. Many lifestyle-related factors, such as high salt and water intake, poor medication adherence, overwork, and physical and mental stress, are known to exacerbate heart failure [3]. Comprehensive factors that are reported to be associated with readmission include physical functioning, such as exercise tolerance [4] and walking speed [5]; mental functioning, such as cognitive functioning [6], depression [7], and anxiety [8]; personality [9], activity and participation, such as Occupational Therapy International Delphi method. Sending general information, instructions, and Selecting the ICF categories required to intervene heart failure in the elderly following the distinctive ICF components.
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