Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Review Of Functional Assessment Instruments, Kristen N. Weich

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Formalized functional assessment, in the form of data that is uniform and complete, is desirable for objective and explicit documentation of functional improvement. A variety of functional assessment instruments are currently being utilized in the field of medical rehabilitation. However, there is not professional clarity as to which functional assessment instrument is optimal.

The concept of functional assessment is described. An overview of existing functional assessment instruments is presented. Criteria for evaluating the adequacy of functional assessment instruments is discussed.

There is no one best approach to assessing physical function. No instrument is perfect for all patients or all situations. …

Development, Validation, And Reliability Evaluation Of A Functional Classification System, Christine S. Eixenberger

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Due to accountability, cost/benefit, and third party payers, it was necessary to develop an objective measurement of functional abilities of rehab patients. In Part I of the research, "Development of a Functional Classification System for a Rehabilitation Unit at St. Alexius Medical Center," a Functional Classification System (FCS) was developed and edited; however, the validity and reliability of the new FCS had to be justified.

Forty-seven patients admitted onto the St. Alexius Rehabilitation Unit between November 1992 and January 1993 were evaluated using version three of the FCS and objectively scored. Validity was tested between admit, discharge, and goal scores …