The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) as a measure among elderly population. A review

Abstract

Objectives To review the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS2.0) application in elderly population. Methods A review of English articles was performed using the following databases: PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase. Only articles assessing disability through WHODAS2.0 in elderly population (>60-years-old) were included according to PRISMA Statement. Results 37 papers satisfied the inclusion criteria reporting 125.624 cases of elderly whose disability was assessed using WHODAS2.0 in different versions (36-items-version in 15 studies; 12-items-version in 15 papers; both versions in 3 articles; data unavailable in 4 studies). Four different aims were recognized: WHODAS 2.0 was used in 12 studies to assess the prevalence of disability, 25 studies of association between disability and environmental or medical conditions; 9 studies of validation of WHODAS and 2 studies to verify the outcome of therapies on functioning. Conclusions: WHODAS2.0 is a valid measure of disability among elderly, able to identify the relation between disability, and medical and environmental factors. Unfortunately, only few Countries apply the “bio-psycho-social” approach to social and health policies context. Therefore, it is recommended to adopt a rehabilitation perspective in every legislation. These results could serve as baseline data to monitor the application of WHODAS2.0 over the coming years.