Are healthy ageing trajectories suitable to identify rehabilitation needs of the ageing population? An exploratory study using ATHLOS cohort data.

BACKGROUND: The ageing process is highly heterogeneous leading to diverse ageing trajectories. Such trajectories have been modelled to study trends and determinants of ageing and could potentially be used to inform the planning of rehabilitation services at population level. The objective of this paper was to explore whether healthy ageing trajectories are suitable to identify targets for rehabilitation interventions for the ageing population. METHODS: Data from the Ageing Trajectories of Health: Longitudinal Opportunities and Synergies (ATHLOS) harmonized cohort and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), which is included in ATHLOS, were used. Growth mixture models were implemented to replicate healthy ageing trajectories modelled elsewhere as 'high stable', 'low stable', and 'rapid decline'. Regularized partial correlation networks were used to estimate expected-influence and bridge expected-influence centrality measures. RESULTS: Healthy ageing trajectories modelled with ATHLOS (N = 131116) and ELSA (N = 14904) were consistent with previous work. At the first individual wave, prevalence of problems of respondents in the 'high stable' and 'rapid decline' trajectories were comparable; at the last individual wave, prevalence remained similar for the 'high stable' but increased substantially in all domains for the 'rapid decline' trajectory. Expected-influence centrality measures provided different results than prevalence estimates. For instance, in the first individual wave mobility and carrying, moving, and handling objects had highest impact on overall functioning for the 'rapid decline' and 'high stable' trajectories, while the most prevalent functioning problems concerned cognition, pain, as well as energy and drive functions. CONCLUSIONS: Our study stressed the relevance of healthy ageing trajectories for identifying functioning domains and categories that need to be targeted by rehabilitation services in a heterogeneous ageing population. The use of such trajectories at country level has the potential to make a meaningful contribution to the planning and delivery of rehabilitation interventions through health systems and to informed policy making.

Revisiting functioning recovery in persons with spinal cord injury undergoing first rehabilitation: Trajectory and network analysis of a Swiss cohort study.

Information about an individual's functioning and its longitudinal development is key to informing clinical rehabilitation. However, the description and understanding of the detailed longitudinal course of functioning, i.e., functioning trajectories, is rare in the current SCI literature. The aim of this study was to re-estimate previously identified functioning trajectories of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) undergoing initial rehabilitation in Switzerland using trajectory analysis, and to identify highly influential functioning domains that could become trajectory-specific targets for clinical interventions using network analysis. The study was based on data from the Swiss SCI Cohort Study and included individuals with SCI (N = 1099) who completed their rehabilitation in one of four collaborating centers between May 2013 and March 2022. For the trajectory analysis, functioning was operationalized using the total sum score of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure version III (SICM III), which was assessed at up to four time points (T1-T4) during rehabilitation. For the network analysis, individual SCIM III items were used to operationalize relevant functioning problems at T1 (admission) and T4 (discharge). The re-estimation of trajectory analysis confirmed the previously identified mean functioning trajectory classes of stable high functioning (N = 239; 21.75%), early (N = 33; 3.00%), moderate (N = 753; 68.52%), and slow (N = 74; 6.73%) functioning improvement. The network analysis revealed highly connected functioning problems at T1 for the moderate functioning improvement class, including "Feeding", "Dressing upper body", and "Dressing lower body", "Mobility in bed", and "Use of toilet". These functioning domains might indicate potential trajectory-specific targets for clinical interventions. This study has increased our knowledge about functioning trajectories of individuals with SCI undergoing initial rehabilitation in Switzerland and its findings may inform discussions about the application and use of functioning trajectories in clinical practice. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, further research is needed to confirm the findings presented.

Disease knowledge and health literacy in parents of children with sickle cell disease.

We aimed to (1) describe sickle cell disease (SCD) knowledge and health literacy levels in parents of children with SCD, (2) examine associations with socio-demographic factors and (3) analyse the association with hospital admissions and frequency of occurrence of painful episodes. Parents who presented with their child at routine hospital consultation at the National Sickle Cell Disease Centre in Benin were administered a questionnaire assessing SCD knowledge, health literacy (newest vital sign [NVS]) and socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. In total, 117 parents participated (108, 92.3% females). The predominant SCD genotype was HbSS (79.5%). The average SCD knowledge score was 13.6 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.0). Only 34 (29.1%) participants correctly answered ≥70% of the questions, indicating good knowledge. Health literacy was relatively low (mean NVS score = 3.3; SD = 1.1). SCD knowledge was higher in parents with older children (p = 0.001) and higher education levels (primary, p = 0.010; tertiary, p = 0.036 compared to participants with no formal education). Hospital admissions were more frequent when parents had lower SCD knowledge (p = 0.034) and in parents with younger children (p = 0.039). No associations were found between health literacy and hospital admissions (p = 0.940) and frequency of occurrence of painful episodes (p = 0.224). Continuous disease-specific education for parents of children with SCD may help them better identify and prevent the occurrence of symptoms and decrease the number of hospital admissions.

Ageing, functioning patterns and their environmental determinants in the spinal cord injury (SCI) population: A comparative analysis across eleven European countries implementing the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey.

BACKGROUND: As the European population with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is expected to become older, a better understanding of ageing with SCI using functioning, the health indicator used to model healthy ageing trajectories, is needed. We aimed to describe patterns of functioning in SCI by chronological age, age at injury and time since injury across eleven European countries using a common functioning metric, and to identify country-specific environmental determinants of functioning. METHODS: Data from 6'635 participants of the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey was used. The hierarchical version of Generalized Partial Credit Model, casted in a Bayesian framework, was used to create a common functioning metric and overall scores. For each country, linear regression was used to investigate associations between functioning, chronological age, age at SCI or time since injury for persons with para- and tetraplegia. Multiple linear regression and the proportional marginal variance decomposition technique were used to identify environmental determinants. RESULTS: In countries with representative samples older chronological age was consistently associated with a decline in functioning for paraplegia but not for tetraplegia. Age at injury and functioning level were associated, but patterns differed across countries. An association between time since injury and functioning was not observed in most countries, neither for paraplegia nor for tetraplegia. Problems with the accessibility of homes of friends and relatives, access to public places and long-distance transportation were consistently key determinants of functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Functioning is a key health indicator and the fundament of ageing research. Enhancing methods traditionally used to develop metrics with Bayesian approach, we were able to create a common metric of functioning with cardinal properties and to estimate overall scores comparable across countries. Focusing on functioning, our study complements epidemiological evidence on SCI-specific mortality and morbidity in Europe and identify initial targets for evidence-informed policy-making.

Classification of Wheelchair Related Shoulder Loading Activities from Wearable Sensor Data: A Machine Learning Approach.

Shoulder problems (pain and pathology) are highly prevalent in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury. These problems lead to limitations in activities of daily life (ADL), labor- and leisure participation, and increase the health care costs. Shoulder problems are often associated with the long-term reliance on the upper limbs, and the accompanying "shoulder load". To make an estimation of daily shoulder load, it is crucial to know which ADL are performed and how these are executed in the free-living environment (in terms of magnitude, frequency, and duration). The aim of this study was to develop and validate methodology for the classification of wheelchair related shoulder loading ADL (SL-ADL) from wearable sensor data. Ten able bodied participants equipped with five Shimmer sensors on a wheelchair and upper extremity performed eight relevant SL-ADL. Deep learning networks using bidirectional long short-term memory networks were trained on sensor data (acceleration, gyroscope signals and EMG), using video annotated activities as the target. Overall, the trained algorithm performed well, with an accuracy of 98% and specificity of 99%. When reducing the input for training the network to data from only one sensor, the overall performance decreased to around 80% for all performance measures. The use of only forearm sensor data led to a better performance than the use of the upper arm sensor data. It can be concluded that a generalizable algorithm could be trained by a deep learning network to classify wheelchair related SL-ADL from the wearable sensor data.

Predicting change in labour market participation of people with spinal cord injury (SCI): longitudinal evidence from the Swiss SCI community survey.

STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal, population-based survey. OBJECTIVE: To examine change in labour market participation (LMP) of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in Switzerland and to identify predictors of increase, decrease and stability in LMP between 2012 and 2017. SETTING: Community. METHODS: Longitudinal information on LMP (i.e., weekly workload) was obtained from 311 gainfully employed, working-age individuals who participated in the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI) community survey in 2012 and were still of working age at the time of completing the 2017 questionnaire. Statistical preselection of the predictors of change in LMP was carried out by implementing the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) in a multinomial logistic regression model. The final set of predictors was selected by comparison of several multinomial logistic regression models. RESULTS: Out of 311 participants, almost half (43%) changed their LMP between 2012 and 2017, 48 increased their weekly workload, 49 reduced and 37 participants left the labour market prematurely. Age at time of the survey, years of education, having children, intention to change weekly workload, high satisfaction with daily routine, extra-time needs for transportation and managing support were associated with change in LMP. CONCLUSIONS: Modifiable factors like education and satisfaction with daily routine should receive particular attention in the context of job retention strategies. More longitudinal research focusing on key employment transitions and trajectories over the life course of persons with SCI is needed to complement, validate and extend our findings.

Pain Trajectories During Initial Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury: Do Psychosocial Resources and Mental Health Predict Trajectories?

OBJECTIVE: To identify classes of pain trajectories during initial rehabilitation after spinal cord injury (SCI) and to investigate whether psychosocial resources and mental health predict pain trajectory membership. DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis with prospective data from the Inception Cohort of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study. SETTING: Initial rehabilitation in 4 SCI specialized rehabilitation centers in Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged ≥16 years with newly diagnosed traumatic or nontraumatic SCI admitted to initial rehabilitation between August 2015 and April 2021 (N=343). INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain intensity was assessed at 4 time points (4, 12, and 24 weeks after SCI and at discharge) with 1 item of the International SCI Basic Pain Dataset asking participants to rate their average pain intensity experienced during the past week on a 0-10 numeric rating scale. RESULTS: Four pain trajectories were identified by latent process mixed modeling: stable moderate pain (N=170, 49.6%), decreasing pain (N=36, 10.5%), increasing pain (N=16, 4.7%), and stable low pain (N=121, 35.3%). Participants with higher optimism (ß = 0.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03-0.22), more social support (ß = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.01-0.59), and less anxiety (ß = -0.13; 95% CI, -0.24 to -0.01) 1 month after injury were more likely to be classified to the decreasing pain than the stable moderate pain trajectory in adjusted analyses. Self-efficacy, purpose in life, and depressive symptoms did not predict this allocation when adjusting for sociodemographics, SCI characteristics, and pain medication. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the importance of psychosocial resources and mental health for early pain trajectories after SCI onset and support the notion that strengthening psychosocial resources and mental health early after SCI could present promising targets in pain management.

Identification of Classes of Functioning Trajectories and Their Predictors in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury Attending Initial Rehabilitation in Switzerland.

OBJECTIVES: To identify classes of functioning trajectories in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) undergoing initial rehabilitation after injury and to examine potential predictors of class membership to inform clinical planning of the rehabilitation process. DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis of the individual's rehabilitation stay using data from the Inception Cohort of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI). SETTING: Initial rehabilitation in specialized centers in Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals with newly acquired SCI (N=748; mean age, 54.66±18.38y) who completed initial rehabilitation between May 2013 and September 2019. The cohort was primarily composed of men (67.51%), persons with paraplegia (56.15%), incomplete injuries (67.51%), and traumatic etiologies (55.48%). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functioning was operationalized with the interval-based sum score of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure version III (SCIM III). For each individual, the SCIM III sum score was assessed at up to 4 time points during rehabilitation stay. The corresponding time of assessment was recorded by the difference in days between the SCIM III assessment and admission to the rehabilitation program. RESULTS: Latent process mixed model analysis revealed 4 classes of functioning trajectories within the present sample. Class-specific predicted mean functioning trajectories describe stable high functioning (n=307; 41.04%), early functioning improvement (n=39; 5.21%), moderate functioning improvement (n=287; 38.37%), and slow functioning improvement (n=115; 15.37%), respectively. Out of 12 tested factors, multinomial logistic regression showed that age, injury level, injury severity, and ventilator assistance were robust predictors that could distinguish between identified classes of functioning trajectories in the present sample. CONCLUSIONS: The current study establishes a foundation for future research on the course of functioning of individuals with SCI in initial rehabilitation by identifying classes of functioning trajectories. This supports the development of specifically tailored rehabilitation programs and prediction models, which can be integrated into clinical rehabilitation planning.

Describing Functioning in People Living With Spinal Cord Injury Across 22 Countries: A Graphical Modeling Approach.

OBJECTIVE: To provide prevalence estimates for problems in functioning of community-dwelling persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to examine associations between various areas of functioning with the purpose of supporting countries in identifying targets for interventions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Community, 22 countries including all World Health Organization regions. PARTICIPANTS: Persons (N=12,591) with traumatic or nontraumatic SCI aged 18 years or older. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We estimated the prevalence of problems in 53 areas of functioning from the Brief International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) core set for SCI, long-term context, or ICF rehabilitation set covering 4 domains: impairments in body functions, impairments in mental functions, independence in performing activities, and restrictions in participation. Associations between areas of functioning were identified and visualized using conditional independence graphs. RESULTS: Participants had a median age of 52 years, 73% were male, and 63% had paraplegia. Feeling tired, bowel dysfunction, sexual functions, spasticity, pain, carrying out daily routine, doing housework, getting up off the floor from lying on the back, pushing open a heavy door, and standing unsupported had the highest prevalence of problems (>70%). Clustering of associations within the 4 functioning domains was found, with the highest numbers of associations within impairments in mental functions. For the whole International Spinal Cord Injury sample, areas with the highest numbers of associations were circulatory problems, transferring bed-wheelchair, and toileting, while for the World Health Organization European and Western Pacific regions, these were dressing upper body, transferring bed-wheelchair, handling stress, feeling downhearted and depressed, and feeling happy. CONCLUSIONS: In each domain of functioning, high prevalence of problems and high connectivity of areas of functioning were identified. The understanding of problems and the identification of potential targets for intervention can inform decision makers at all levels of the health system aiming to improve the situation of people living with SCI.

Cohort Profile of the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey Implemented in 22 Countries.

OBJECTIVES: To detail the methodological features of the first International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) Community Survey by describing recruitment and data collection procedures, and to report on the recruitment results and basic characteristics of participants by country and income setting. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Community setting in 22 countries representing all 6 World Health Organization regions. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals (N=12,591) with traumatic or non-traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) aged over 18 years. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Recruitment and data collection procedures, recruitment results, and basic sociodemographic and lesion characteristics of participants. RESULTS: Eight countries used predefined sampling frames and 14 countries applied convenience sampling for recruitment. Most countries recruited participants through specialized rehabilitation facilities, patient organizations, or acute and general hospitals. Modes of approaching potential participants depended on the sampling strategy and multiple response modes were offered to maximize participation. Contact rates ranged from 33% to 98%, cooperation rates ranged from 29% to 90%, and response rates ranged from 23% to 54%. The majority of participants were men (73%), the median age was 52 years (interquartile range, 40-63y), 60% had a partner, 8% reported that they were born in another country than where they were currently residing, and the median length of education was 12 years (interquartile range, 9-15y). Paraplegia was the main diagnosis (63%), traumatic etiologies were the major cause of injury (81%), and the median time since injury (TSI) was 9 years (interquartile range, 4-19y). Compared with participants from lower income settings, participants from higher income settings were over-represented and, in general, were older, more often diagnosed with tetraplegia, had a longer TSI, higher education, and were more often born in a country different than their current residence country. CONCLUSIONS: The successful implementation of the InSCI survey enables the comparison of the situation of individuals with SCI around the world and constitutes a crucial starting point for an international learning experience.

The influence and added value of a Standardized Assessment and Reporting System for functioning outcomes upon national rehabilitation quality reports.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the influence and added value of a Standardized Assessment and Reporting System (StARS) upon the reporting of functioning outcomes for national rehabilitation quality reports. A StARS builds upon an ICF-based (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) and interval-scaled common metric. DESIGN: Comparison of current ordinal-scaled Swiss national rehabilitation outcome reports including an expert-consensus-based transformation scale with StARS-based reports through descriptive statistical methods and content exploration of further development areas of the reports with relevant ICF Core Sets. SETTING: Swiss national public rehabilitation outcome quality reports on the clinic level. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 29 Swiss rehabilitation clinics provided their quality report datasets including 18 047 patients. INTERVENTIONS: Neurological or musculoskeletal rehabilitation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional Independence Measure™ or Extended Barthel Index. RESULTS: Outcomes reported with a StARS tended to be smaller but more precise than in the current ordinal-scaled reports, indicating an overestimation of achieved outcomes in the latter. The comparison of the common metric's content with ICF Core Sets suggests to include 'energy and drive functions' or 'maintaining a basic body position' to enhance the content of functioning as an indicator. CONCLUSIONS: A StARS supports the comparison of outcomes assessed with different measures on the same interval-scaled ICF-based common metric. Careful consideration is needed whether an ordinal-scaled or interval-scaled reporting system is applied as the magnitude and precision of reported outcomes is influenced. The StARS' ICF basis brings an added value by informing further development of functioning as a relevant indicator for national outcome quality reports in rehabilitation.

Correction: Examining the complexity of functioning in persons with spinal cord injury attending first rehabilitation in Switzerland using structural equation modelling.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Impact of spasticity on functioning in spinal cord injury: an application of graphical modelling.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the impact of moderate-to-severe spasticity on functioning in people living with spinal cord injury. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data using graphical modelling. SUBJECTS: Individuals (n = 1,436) with spinal cord injury aged over 16 years with reported spasticity problems. METHODS: Spasticity and 13 other impairments in body functions were assessed using the spinal cord injury Secondary Conditions Scale. Impairments in mental functions were assessed using the Mental Health subscale of the 36-item Short Form (SF-36). Independence in activities was measured with the Spinal Cord Injury Independence Measure Self-Report. Restrictions in participation were measured with the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation Rehabilitation - Participation. RESULTS: Fifty-one percent of participants reported moderate-to-severe spasticity. Graphical modelling showed that Chronic pain, Contractures, Tiredness, Doing housework, and Respiratory functions were associated with spasticity and were the top 5 potential targets for interventions to improve the experience of spasticity. The associations and intervention targets were dependent on the level and completeness of the lesion. CONCLUSION: This is the first application of graphical modelling in studying spasticity in people living with spinal cord injury. The results can be used as a basis for studies aiming to optimize rehabilitation interventions in people with moderate-to-severe spasticity.

Examining the complexity of functioning in persons with spinal cord injury attending first rehabilitation in Switzerland using structural equation modelling.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. OBJECTIVES: To examine the associations between activities, body structures and functions, and their relationship with aetiology, age and sex in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) at discharge from first rehabilitation. SETTING: Swiss SCI Cohort Study (SwiSCI). METHODS: The study included 390 participants with newly acquired SCI and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as conceptual frame of reference. Body structures were represented by injury level and severity; body functions by cardiovascular, pulmonary, skin, bowel and urinary functions and pain; mental functions by anxiety, depression, optimism and self-esteem; and activities by independence in performing activities of daily living (ADL). Using structural equation modelling (SEM), indirect effects of body structures and functions on independence in performing ADL through mental functions were tested for each mental function separately. For each structural model, fit was assessed using several indices and differences in aetiology, age and sex groups were explored. RESULTS: The structural model about optimism showed good fit in all indices; the models about anxiety, depression and self-esteem showed conflicting fit indices, respectively. Within all models, effects on independence in performing ADL were mainly direct. Pain showed significant (P < 0.05) indirect effects on independence in performing ADL within the depression, optimism and self-esteem models. The model about anxiety showed differences in aetiology groups. CONCLUSIONS: Using an ICF-based modelling approach, this study presents an attempt towards a more comprehensive understanding of functioning in first rehabilitation of persons with SCI, which might be fundamental for rehabilitation planning.

Graphical modelling: a tool for describing and understanding the functioning of people living with a health condition.

Rehabilitation aims to optimize people's lived experience of health or functioning. A comprehensive understanding of people's functioning is thus fundamental for rehabilitation clinicians and scientists. Over the past ten years it has been shown that graphical modelling is a promising technique for modelling data on people's functioning. It can contribute to our understanding of the complex associations between domains of functioning and the identification of potential targets for rehabilitation interventions both at the level of the person and the environment. The objective of this methodological note is to demonstrate how graphical modelling can be used by rehabilitation clinicians and scientists in the description, understanding and influencing of people's functioning. The application of graphical modelling and the interpretation of results is illustrated using the Spinal Cord Injury Independence Measure - Self Report used in the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study. Finally, we discuss the potential of graphical modelling for the planning of studies that expand our understanding of functioning and for rehabilitation interventions.

System-wide Clinical Assessment of Functioning Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in China: Interrater Reliability, Convergent, Known Group, and Predictive Validity of the ICF Generic-6.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Generic-6 in daily routine clinical practice in Mainland China. Specific objectives were to analyze (1) interrater reliability, (2) convergent validity, (3) known group validity, and (4) predictive validity of the ICF Generic-6. DESIGN: Multicenter prospective cohort study. SETTING: Fifty hospitals from 20 provinces of Mainland China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4510 patients from departments of rehabilitation, orthopedics, neurology, cardiology, pneumology, and cerebral surgery of the participating hospitals with different health conditions were included in this study. INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The assessment was undertaken by nurses with ICF Generic-6 in combination with a numeric rating scale. Interrater reliability was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Convergent validity was evaluated with Spearman correlation coefficients between ICF Generic-6 and Medical Outcomes Short Form (SF)-12 items. Known group validity was examined by comparing discharge scores between different discharge destinations. Predictive validity was determined by using ICF Generic-6 baseline scores for estimating length of hospital stay with a loglogistic survival model with gamma shared frailty and cost of in-hospital treatment with a mixed effects generalized linear regression model of the gamma family. RESULTS: The interrater reliability of items and score of ICF Generic-6 was good with ICCs ranging from 0.67-0.87. ICF Generic-6 items were further correlated with respective SF-12 items. Discharge scores of patients differed significantly by discharge destination. The ICF Generic-6 admission score was a significant predictor of length of stay and treatment cost. CONCLUSIONS: The ICF Generic-6 administered in combination with a 0-10 numeric rating scale is a reliable and valid tool for the collection of minimal information on functioning across various clinical settings.

ICF Generic Set as new standard for the system wide assessment of functioning in China: a multicentre prospective study on metric properties and responsiveness applying item response theory.

OBJECTIVES: To examine metric properties and responsiveness of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Generic Set when used in routine clinical practice to assess functioning. DESIGN: Prospective multicentre study. SETTING: 50 hospitals from 20 provinces of Mainland China. PARTICIPANTS: 4510 adult inpatients admitted to the departments of Pulmonology, Cardiology, Neurology, Orthopaedics, Cerebral Surgery or Rehabilitation Medicine. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The ICF Generic Set (ICF Generic 6 Set) applied with an 11-point numeric rating scale (0-no problem to 10-complete problem) was fit to the Partial Credit Model (PCM) to create an interval score of functioning. RESULTS: PCM assumptions were found to be fulfilled after accounting for Differential Item Functioning. With an average improvement by 7.86 points of the metric ICF Generic 6 score (95% CI 7.53 to 8.19), the ICF Generic 6 Set proved sensitive to change (Cohen's f2=0.41). Ceiling and floor effects on detecting change in functioning were cancelled or reduced by using the metric score. CONCLUSION: The ICF Generic 6 Set can be used for the assessment of functioning in routine clinical practice and an interval score can be derived which is sensitive to change.

Describing Functioning in People Living With Spinal Cord Injury in Switzerland: A Graphical Modeling Approach.

OBJECTIVE: To describe functioning in people living with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Switzerland. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data. SETTING: Community, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals (N=1549) 16 years of age or older with a history of traumatic or nontraumatic SCI and permanently residing in Switzerland. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functioning was operationalized through 4 domains: (1) impairments in body functions; (2) impairments in mental functions; (3) independence in performing activities; and (4) performance problems in participation. RESULTS: Univariate analysis indicated a high prevalence of problems in 5 areas: (1) housework; (2) climbing stairs; (3) tiredness; (4) spasticity; and (5) chronic pain. Graphical modeling showed a strong association among the four domains of functioning. Moreover, we found that the differences in the dependence structures were significant between the paraplegia SCI population and the tetraplegia SCI population. CONCLUSIONS: This study is a first study in the epidemiology of functioning of people living with SCI in Switzerland. Using univariate and graphical modeling approaches, we proposed an empirical foundation for developing hypotheses on functioning in each domain and category that could inform health systems on people's health needs.

Study Protocol of the International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) Community Survey.

OBJECTIVE: The Learning Health System for Spinal Cord Injury (LHS-SCI) is an initiative embedded in the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Global Disability Plan and requires the statistical collection of data on the lived experience of persons with SCI to consequently formulate recommendations and policies. The International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) community survey has been developed as an initial step to gain information about the lived experience of persons with SCI within and across diverse nations. DESIGN: InSCI is a multinational community survey based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for SCI and involves 28 countries from all six WHO regions. The study will be implemented in 2017. Overall aims, guiding principles on sampling strategies, data collection modes, and reminder management are described. CONCLUSIONS: InSCI will be the first survey to be conducted simultaneously in many countries and in all six WHO world regions that identifies the factors associated with functioning, health, and well-being of persons living with SCI. Expected results of the survey will be used for the basis of conducting stakeholder dialogs for policy reforms designed to improve the functioning, health maintenance, and well-being of persons with SCI.