Article

OBJECTIVE: To make a cross-cultural comparison of the contents of rehabilitation
goals of patients admitted for rehabilitation and to compare the contents with
the comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and
Health (ICF) Core Set for rheumatoid arthritis, by linking their contents to the
ICF. PATIENTS: A random sample of 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis was
retrieved from rehabilitation clinics in 4 countries. METHODS: Rehabilitation
goals were extracted from the medical records and linked to the ICF using
standardized linking rules. RESULTS: A total of 495 rehabilitation goals were
identified and linked to 952 ICF codes, resulting in 151 unique ICF codes.
Two-hundred and seventy-five (29%) of the 952 ICF codes were related to "Body
Functions" (b-codes), 80 (8%) to "Body Structures" (s-codes), 419 (44%) to
"Activities and Participation" (d-codes) and 178 (19%) to "Environmental Factors"
(e-codes). Thirty-five of the 151 unique ICF codes (23%) were not in the
comprehensive ICF Core Set for RA, whereas 23 of the ICF codes in this Core Set
(24%) were not in the rehabilitation goals. CONCLUSION: The goals set in a team
rehabilitation setting for patients with rheumatoid arthritis are related to all
ICF components, with "Activities and Participation" being the most frequently
addressed. The contents of the goals are, to a considerable extent, covered by
the comprehensive ICF Core Set for RA, but additional evaluation is required
before the ICF Core Set is used as a rehabilitation tool in rheumatoid arthritis.

Langue : ANGLAIS