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Critical review of disability measures: conceptual developments
Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada
|January 3, 1996
Summary
Physical therapy disability measures evolved from self-care to functional focus, physical to psychosocial aspects, and clinician to client perspectives. Future measures should integrate capacity, function, and environment.
Area of Science:
- Physical therapy research
- Disability measurement science
Background:
- Outcome measures for disability are crucial in physical therapy.
- Understanding historical trends in disability measurement is essential for developing effective tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the content of functional status/disability measures developed from 1950 to 1989.
- To identify and discuss trends in disability measurement over this period.
Main Methods:
- Content analysis of functional status/disability measures.
- Historical review of measurement tools developed between 1950 and 1989.
Main Results:
- Identified three predominant patterns in measure development: self-care to functional focus, physical to psychosocial focus, and clinician to client focus.
- Discussed the implications of these identified trends.
Conclusions:
- Physical therapy outcome measures have shown significant evolution in content and focus.
- Future development of physical therapy measures necessitates integrating consumer perspectives, physical capacity, function, and environmental factors.