Environmental effects on WHODAS 2.0 among patients with stroke with a focus on ICF category e120

To explore the environmental effects on the disabilities of people post stroke and to search for the best probabilistic cut-off value of the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule second edition (WHODAS 2.0) scores to predict people post stroke experiencing an access barrier to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health category e120 products and technology for personal indoor and outdoor mobility and transportation (PMT).

We analyzed data of 162 younger (aged 18-64 years) and 202 older (aged ≥65 years) people post stroke from the databank of persons with disability between June 1, 2011 and February 29, 2012. All participants rated each WHODAS 2.0 item with environmental intervention (performance score) and without any intervention (capacity score). We used the paired capacity-performance score difference to assess the whole environmental effects on the participants' disability, evaluated each participant's access barrier to PMT (negative PMT), and used a receiver-operating characteristic curve to predict patients having a negative PMT.

The whole environment acted as a barrier on mobility and self-care in >10 % of older people post stroke. Older patients having a summary index performance score of ≥78.8 points and younger patients having an index of ≥56.0 points were likely to experience a negative PMT. Older patients who have an access to PMT were possible to improve their daily activities performance, and younger patients could report less disability.

An environmental support to improve the PMT accessibility is important for people post stroke to reduce their disability.