Validation of the ICF Core Sets for spinal cord injury from the perspective of health professionals

Background and aims of the study

Within the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) which was adopted 2001 by the WHO, impairments and resources of a patient are shown multi-dimensionally . To facilitate the application of the ICF in clinical practice, our research group developed disease-specific Core Sets. These are selections of ICF categories relevant for the majority of patients with a certain health condition.

The first version of the ICF Core Sets for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) was adopted by an international consensus conference in November 2007. With these Core Sets, in the future, it will be possible to carry out an internationally uniform classification of functioning and disability of persons with SCI.

Before its routine usage, a validation of the ICF Core Sets will be required. It should be investigated whether the interventions of the health professions who are involved in the medical care of persons with SCI are sufficiently represented in the ICF Core Sets. An international electronic-mail expert survey according to the Delphi-technique will be performed for each of the following health professions:

· Physicians
· Nurses
· Physical therapists
· Occupational therapists
· Psychologists
· Social workers

What will be your contribution?

In an international survey health professionals will be asked about the patients’ problems they treat in persons with SCI. The survey will be carried out using electronic mail. It consists of three survey rounds and is performed according to the so-called Delphi method.

The work load for filling out and dispatching the questionnaire will be around four hours in total between March 2009 and August 2009.

Of course, you will be mentioned in the acknowledgements of all publications based on this project.

We would very much appreciate if you could participate! Furthermore, it would be most helpful for us if you could name colleagues or other persons who are physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists or social workers experienced in SCI care and may be interested to participate in our validation study. We would kindly ask you to complete the attached contact information form and resend it to us.

Many thanks in advance for collaborating in this international project. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Sarah Behle

Sarah Behle
(Study coordinator)
Inge Kirchberger PhD, MPH
(Study director)
____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___
Please respond to:

Sarah Behle
Institute for Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
ICF Research Branch of WHO CC FIC (DIMDI)
Ludwig-Maximilian University
Marchioninistr. 17
81377 Munich
Germany

Fax: +49 89 2180 78230
mailto: Sarah.Behle@ med.uni-muenchen .de

http://www.icf-research- branch.org

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