Measuring clients' perception of functional limitations using the Perceived Functioning & Health questionnaire.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychometrics
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• The Perceived Functioning & Health (PFH) questionnaire was developed to standardize the assessment of work activity limitations due to health conditions.
• Client perception of functional limitations is crucial for accurate assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the reliability and validity of the Perceived Functioning & Health (PFH) questionnaire.
• To evaluate the PFH's suitability for assessing work limitations in diverse populations.

Main Methods:

• The PFH, comprising 147 questions across 33 scales, was administered to 800 respondents (healthy employees, sick leave workers, disability pensioners).
• Internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and test-retest reliability were assessed.
• Validation involved comparing PFH scores across self-classified and physician-classified groups (healthy, mental, physical, mixed limitations) using ANOVA and discriminant analyses.

Main Results:

• The PFH scales demonstrated sufficient to good internal consistency (mean Cronbach's α = 0.79) and test-retest reliability (mean r = 0.76).
• Significant differences in scale scores were observed between healthy, mental, and physical limitation groups, aligning with self-classification and disease codes.
• Discriminant analyses confirmed accurate classification of over 75% of respondents into limitation groups based on PFH scores.
• Specific health complaints and diagnosed disorders were clearly reflected in relevant PFH scale scores.

Conclusions:

• The Perceived Functioning & Health (PFH) questionnaire exhibits satisfactory psychometric properties, demonstrating good reliability and validity.
• The PFH is an appropriate instrument for systematically measuring functional limitations in individuals on sick leave and disability pensions.
• The PFH can serve as a valuable starting point in disability claim procedures.