Performance-based physical function in older community-dwelling persons: a systematic review of instruments

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Identifying older adults at risk for functional decline is crucial for public health.
• Existing physical function assessment tools lack comprehensive psychometric data.
• Standardized assessment is needed for effective health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the content and psychometric properties of instruments measuring overall physical function in older adults.
• To identify reliable and valid assessment tools for clinical and research use.
• To guide the selection of appropriate functional assessment measures.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of electronic databases (Medline, EMBASE, AMED, Cochrane, CINAHL).
• Inclusion of studies evaluating measurement properties of physical function instruments in community-dwelling older adults (≥60 years).
• Assessment of reliability, validity, responsiveness, and practicability based on a defined protocol.

Main Results:

• 78 articles describing 12 distinct functional assessment instruments were analyzed.
• Seven instruments were evaluated for reliability, and nine for validity.
• The Short Physical Performance Battery, Physical Performance Test, and Continuous Scale Physical Functional Performance emerged as key instruments.

Conclusions:

• The Short Physical Performance Battery is highly recommended due to superior validity, reliability, and responsiveness.
• The Physical Performance Test and Continuous Scale Physical Functional Performance are also valuable tools for assessing physical function.
• These findings aid in selecting optimal instruments for screening and managing functional status in older populations.