Identifying Meaningful Patient Outcomes After Lower Extremity Injury, Part 2: Linking Outcomes to the International...

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Science
• Sports Medicine
• Health Classification Systems

Background:

• The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) offers a standardized framework for health and disability.
• Its applicability to patient-reported outcomes in collegiate athletes with lower extremity (LE) injuries requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if patient outcomes from collegiate athletes with LE injuries align with the ICF model.
• To identify the most pertinent ICF categories and domains for these athletes.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of semistructured interviews with collegiate athletes experiencing LE injuries.
• Linking patient-reported themes to ICF categories using established rules and frequency analysis.

Main Results:

• All reported outcomes from collegiate athletes with LE injuries successfully linked to 63 ICF second-level domains across all four ICF categories (body functions, body structures, activities and participation, environmental factors).
• These domains encompassed 20 first-level ICF domains, including mobility.

Conclusions:

• The ICF classification system provides a comprehensive language for describing health and disability in collegiate athletes post-LE injury.
• Athletic trainers can utilize these findings to enhance the assessment and monitoring of athlete health and function.