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Objective: To identify intervention categories encountered by physical therapists working in aquatic therapy with disabled children, using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth (ICF-CY). Methods: Aquatic physical therapists were asked to describe concepts related to the functioning of disabled children and their contextual factors. Data were collected in three rounds using the Delphi technique. All answers were translated ('linked') to the ICF-CY and analyzed to determine the degree of consensus. Results: Answers were linked and organized into four diagnostic groups. Overall, in the four groups, 41 Body Functions, 8 Body Structures, 36 Activities and Participation, and 6 Environmental Factors categories were identified as intervention targets. In addition, 8 Environmental Factors that influence aquatic physical therapy were identified. Conclusions: This study highlights the variety of intervention categories available to aquatic physical therapists when treating children in the water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) scale is now available in Brazilian Portuguese. • The Brazilian Portuguese PCFS has shown adequate measurement properties. The Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) scale was created to assess the functional status of patients after hospital discharge due to COVID-19. To perform cross-cultural adaptation of the PCFS Scale and Manual into Brazilian Portuguese and evaluate its measurement properties in patients post-COVID-19. For the cross-cultural adaptation, independent translations and back-translations were performed. This was followed by a pre-test, with analysis of the Content Validity Index (CVI), and preparation of the final version, after evaluating the measurement properties. Spearman's correlation between the PCFS and the WHO Disability Classification Scheme (WHODAS 2.0) was used for convergent validity. Weighted Kappa (wκ) was used for test-retest and interobserver reliability for PCFS scores and Kappa (κ) for PCFS items. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Only patients with post-discharge COVID-19 were evaluated through video-conferencing platforms. The CVI was 0.75–0.83 for comprehension and 0.83–0.84 for the language of the self-administered questionnaire and the structured interview version. For measurement properties, 63 patients were evaluated, 68% male, 51.50 (12.60) years, 12.28 (7.62) days of hospitalization. For the convergent validity, a strong correlation was found (r = 0.73; p <0.01). The test-retest (wκ=0.54) and interobserver (wκ=0.43) reliability was moderate and the item-by-item analyzes ranged from fair to substantial (κ=0.25–0.66) and weak to substantial (κ=0.07–0.79). Internal consistency was excellent (0.85). The final PCFS in Brazilian Portuguese showed adequate content validity, reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity for the functional assessment of patients after hospital discharge due to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stroke patients commonly have impairments associated with reduction in functionality. Among these impairments, the motor impairments are the most prevalent. The functional profile of these patients living in the community who are users of the primary health-care services in Brazil has not yet been established. Objective: To describe the functional profile of stroke patients who are users of the primary health-care services in Brazil, looking at one health-care unit in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Method: From medical records and home visits, data were collected regarding health status, assistance received following the stroke, personal and environmental contextual factors, function and disability, organized according to the conceptual framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Test and instruments commonly applied in the assessment of stroke patients were used. Results: Demographic data from all stroke patients who were users of the health-care unit (n=44, age: 69.23±13.12 years and 67±66.52 months since the stroke) participated of this study. Most subjects presented with disabilities, as changes in emotional function, muscle strength, and mobility, risks of falling during functional activities, negative self-perception of quality of life, and perception of the environment factors were perceived as obstacles. The majority of the patients used the health-care unit to renew drug prescriptions, and did not receive any information on stroke from health professionals, even though patients believed it was important for patients to receive information and to provide clarifications. Conclusion: Stroke patients who used primary health-care services in Brazil have chronic disabilities and health needs that require continuous health attention from rehabilitation professionals. All of these health needs should be considered by health professionals to provide better management as part of the integral care of stroke patients, as recommended by the clinical practice guidelines for stroke rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Brazilian version of the PM-Scale is both valid and reliable. • The Brazilian version of the PM-Scale is a unidimensional assessment instrument based on the ICF and calibrated using the Rasch model. • This is a low-cost scale that can be administered in less than five minutes, which facilitates assessment in clinical practice. • The PM-Scale can contribute to clinical practice and long-term care for the Brazilian population of stroke survivors and provides useful information for the scientific community. The PM-Scale was developed specifically to assess participation in individuals after stroke based on the concepts contained in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. However, this measure is only available in English and French. To translate and cross-culturally adapt the PM-Scale to Brazilian Portuguese, followed by the validation and testing of reliability of the translated version. The translation process followed standard guidelines. Preliminary test-retest reliability was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 2,1). The Rasch model was employed to analyse the validity, unidimensionality, invariance, and internal consistency of the Brazilian version of the PM-Scale. The final translated version of the PM-Scale presented appropriate semantic, idiomatic, cultural, and conceptual equivalence. The preliminary analysis revealed excellent intra-observer and inter-observer reliability (ICC 2, 1 = 0.91; 95%CI: 0.83, 0.95 and ICC 2, 1 = 0.81; 95%CI: 0.64, 0.89, respectively). The analysis of the Rasch model revealed only one erratic item. An excellent overall fit was found for items (mean ± SD = 0.01 ± 1.02) and adequate fit was found for persons (mean ± SD = 1.16 ± 0.88). Internal consistency was considered adequate (person separation index = 1.77, reliability = 0.76). No significant invariance was found with regards to the personal characteristics of the sample (p > 0.05). The Brazilian version of the PM-Scale is a valid, unidimensional, linear, reliable scale for measuring participation in stroke survivors and can be administered in less than five minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper describes the development of the Protocol for Identification of Problems for Rehabilitation (PLPR), a tool to standardize collection of functional information based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Development of the protocol: The PLPR was developed for use during the initial contact with adult patients within a public network of rehabilitation services. Steps to develop the protocol included: survey of the ICF codes most used by clinical professionals; compilation of data from functional instruments; development and pilot testing of a preliminary version in the service settings; discussion with professionals and development of the final version. The final version includes: user identification; social and health information; brief functional description (BFD); summary of the BFD; and PLPR results. Further testing of the final version will be conducted. Conclusions: The protocol standardizes the first contact between the user and the rehabilitation service. Systematic use of the protocol could also help to create a functional database that would allow comparisons between rehabilitation services and countries over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several Brazilian studies have addressed the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), but few have analyzed the knowledge of the health professionals with regards to the ICF. Objective: To verify whether the classification of the items in the Brazilian-Portuguese versions of The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and The Disabilities Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaires, obtained from health professionals who worked with patients having upper limb injuries, could be related to ICF components as defined by others studies. Method: There were 4 participants for the group "professionals with high familiarity of the ICF (PHF)" and 19 for the group of "professionals with some or no familiarity of the ICF (PSNF)". The participants judged whether the items on the two questionnaires belonged to the ICF body function, body structure or activity-participation component, and marked a confidence level for each trial using a numerical scale ranging from zero to 10. The items were classified by the discriminant content validity method using the Student's t-test and the Hochberg correction. The ratings were compared to the literature by the percentage of agreement and Kappa coefficient. Results: The percentage of agreement of the rating from the PSNF and the PHF groups with the literature was equal to or greater than 77%. For the DASH, the agreement of the PSNF and PHF groups with the literature were, respectively, moderate (Kappa=0.46 to 0.48) and substantial (Kappa=0.62 to 0.70). Conclusions: Health professionals were able to correlate the three components of the ICF for most items on the 2 questionnaires, demonstrating some ease of understanding the ICF components. However, the relation of concept of pain with body function component is not clear for professional and deserves a more attentive approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the participation component is considered to be the most complex component characterized in existing instruments that assess quality of life related to health (HRQoL). Questionnaires such as the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SS-QOL) are currently used to evaluate the participation of individuals in life activities after stroke. However, because participation and HRQoL are different constructs, it is unclear whether these instruments are best suited to this evaluation. Objective: To investigate whether the NHP and SS-QOL are suitable instruments for assessing the participation component of ICF. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which a sample of 35 individuals completed the SS-QOL and NHP. The study correlated the total score on the questionnaires with the scores on items that evaluate the participation component of the ICF. Both analyses used the Spearman correlation coefficient (r). Results: There was a statistically significant, positive and strong correlation between total score on the SS-QOL and NHP and the score on specific components related to participation (r=0.8, p=0.001 and r=0.9, p=0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Both the NHP and the SS-QOL show strong correlations between the total score and the score on items that assess the participation categories of the ICF. However, the SS-QOL questionnaire appeared to be the most complete for this assessment because it evaluates more distinct domains and contains the largest number of items related to participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) should be widely used in research and clinical practice, but there are few studies that do so with the evaluation instruments used in physical therapy. Objective: To compare instruments that evaluate sleep, cognition and function in stroke patients according to the ICF. Methods: Twelve patients (6 women) with a mean age of 55.4 (±6.2) years and a recovery time from 7 to 36 months took part in the study. Patients were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Barthel Index (BI). A frequency comparison of ICF categories and those of the above-mentioned instruments was performed using Fisher's exact test and chi-square. Agreement regarding the categories was recorded by two evaluators and assessed with the Kappa index. Results: Mean scores of 5.0 (±3.0), 22.5 (±3.4) and 74.6 (±17.2) were found for the PSQI, MMSE and BI, respectively. The changes identified in the other instruments were recorded in 46 ICF categories, with the most frequent component being "Body Functions", followed by "Activities and Participation". We found an inter-rater agreement of 0.87 for the PSQI (substantial), 0.44 for the MMSE (moderate) and 0.39 for BI (fair). Conclusions: The results indicate that the instruments' concordance differed greatly, which suggests a more thorough use of these instruments in physical therapy to optimize the formulation and standardization of diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low back pain is a set of painful manifestations that may cause limitations to several aspects of an individual's life. The model of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) proposed by the World Health Organization provides a structure for understanding the functioning and disability associated with health conditions, thus enabling significant descriptions of an individual's health. The ICF uses the terms "capacity" and "performance" to refer to different aspects of function and to differentiate between patients' functional status. In clinical practice, it is necessary to determine whether there is any association between these different aspects. Objectives: To analyze the correlation between the Roland Morris functional performance questionnaire and physical capacity tests (sit-to-stand and 50-foot walk) among patients with low back pain. Methods: Thirty patients of mean age 43.16 years, with a diagnosis of low back pain, were assessed using the Roland Morris questionnaire and the capacity tests. Results: Analysis using Pearson's correlation showed a signifi cant but weak correlation between the Roland Morris score and the sit-to-stand test (r=0.38; p=0.0388). No signifi cant correlation was observed between the questionnaire score and the 50-foot walk test (r=0.24; p=0.1862). Conclusion: The results indicate the need to use instruments that evaluate both aspects of function (capacity and performance) among patients with low back pain, so that a more complete functional profi le of such individuals can be defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]