Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
10:32
Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills
Published on: April 23, 2014
Development of a self-report physical function instrument for disability assessment: item pool construction and
Christine M McDonough1, Alan M Jette, Pengsheng Ni
1Health and Disability Research Institute, Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Boston University Medical Campus, Boston, MA, USA. cmm@bu.edu
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
|April 2, 2013
Summary
A new 91-item physical function item pool was developed and validated for assessing work disability. The four-factor structure, including body position, mobility, and upper extremity function, showed excellent fit in claimant and general population samples.
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Rehabilitation medicine
- Disability assessment
Background:
- Developing reliable instruments to assess physical functioning is crucial for disability programs.
- The Social Security Administration (SSA) requires validated tools to evaluate work capacity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a comprehensive item pool for work-relevant physical functioning.
- To test the factor structure of this item pool for use in disability assessments.
Main Methods:
- Literature review, gap analysis, expert input, and stakeholder interviews informed item generation.
- Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to determine the item pool's structure.
- Data were collected from 1017 SSA claimants and 999 individuals from the general population.
Main Results:
- A 139-item pool was refined to a 91-item, 4-factor model: body position, whole body mobility, upper body function, and fine motor skills.
- Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated very good model fit for both claimant and normative samples.
- Key fit statistics (CFI, TLI, RMSEA) indicated robust structural validity.
Conclusions:
- The physical function item pool's factor structure aligns with the hypothesized content model.
- The four identified scales provide reliable information on physical functioning relevant to work disability.
- This validated item pool shows promise for improving SSA disability evaluations.
Keywords:
CATCFACFIDisability evaluationDisabled personsEFAFactor analysis, statisticalICFIRTInsuranceInternational Classification of Functioning, Disability and HealthPROMISPatient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information SystemQuestionnairesRMSEARehabilitationSCI-FISSASocial Security AdministrationSpinal Cord Injury-Functional IndexTLITucker-Lewis Indexcomparative fit indexcomputer-adaptive testingconfirmatory factor analysisexploratory factor analysisitem response theoryroot mean square error of approximation
Related Concept Videos
01:22Self-Report Tests of Personality
Self-report inventories are objective personality assessments that use multiple-choice items or numbered scales, typically ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). They are often called Likert scales after Rensis Likert. These inventories are widely used due to their ease of administration and cost-effectiveness. One of the most prominent examples is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), initially developed in the 1940s to assess abnormal personality traits.
01:05Data Collection III
The physical assessment examines the patient for objective data that defines the patient's condition, and aids in formulating the nursing care plan. The purpose of physical assessment is a health status appraisal, which includes identifying health problems, and establishing a database for nursing intervention.
The principles to begin the physical assessment include conducting a comprehensive or problem-related history in a quiet, well-lit room, emphasizing privacy and comfort for the patient.
The principles to begin the physical assessment include conducting a comprehensive or problem-related history in a quiet, well-lit room, emphasizing privacy and comfort for the patient.