Patient-Reported Mobility: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Science
• Disability Studies
• Health Measurement

Background:

• Assessing mobility in adults with disabilities is crucial for effective rehabilitation and functional independence.
• Self-administered instruments offer a patient-centered approach to capturing mobility experiences.
• Standardized frameworks like the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) are essential for consistent reporting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify self-administered instruments for assessing mobility in adults with disabilities.
• To map the assessed mobility constructs to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) domains.
• To critically evaluate the methodological quality of these mobility assessment instruments.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science up to July 2015.
• Inclusion of studies on the development and validation of self-administered questionnaires with a focus on mobility.
• Classification of mobility items using ICF categories and assessment of methodological quality using the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist.

Main Results:

• 34 studies were included, with only 10 instruments exclusively assessing mobility.
• Frequently mapped ICF categories included 'changing basic body position', 'walking', and 'moving around'.
• Content validity was the best-evaluated measurement property, likely due to the focus on instrument development and initial validation.

Conclusions:

• Self-administered mobility questionnaires primarily capture mobility activities and related domains (self-care, domestic life) from a disability perspective.
• The Outpatient Physical Therapy Improvement in Movement Assessment Log, Movement Ability Measure, and Mobility Activities Measure for Inpatient Rehabilitation Settings demonstrated the highest methodological quality.