Filling a measurement gap in adult inpatient rehabilitation settings

Background: Valid and clinically meaningful measurement of clients’ activity limitations and participation restrictions in personal and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) is important in inpatient rehabilitation... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Valid and clinically meaningful measurement of clients’ activity limitations and participation restrictions in personal and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) is important in inpatient rehabilitation contexts. Typically, standardised assessments are not used to measure activity limitations in instrumental ADL, nor participation restrictions in both personal ADL and instrumental ADL required for community life. This is an important measurement gap. The Personal Care Participation Assessment and Resource Tool (PC-PART) identifies clients’ participation restrictions in ADL required for community life and may fill this measurement gap (Darzins et al., 2013).
Method:
To test the internal validity of the PC-PART, data from a randomized controlled trial, involving 996 inpatient rehabilitation participants (63% women; mean age 74 years) with various impairment types, were examined by Rasch analysis (Darzins et al., 2014). A-priori hypotheses regarding responsiveness, construct and criterion validity of the PC-PART were also tested (Darzins et al., 2015).
Results:
Two unidimensional PC-PART scales fit the Rasch model: Self-Care (16 items) and Domestic Life (14 items). Both scales had acceptable internal consistency (PSI =0.85, 0.76, respectively) and well-targeted items. Ten of 13 hypotheses were supported.
Conclusion:
The PC-PART is responsive and has evidence of construct and criterion validity in inpatient rehabilitation as a measure of participation restrictions in ADL required for community life. The PC-PART fills a measurement gap for inpatient rehabilitation.
Application to Practice:
The PC-PART can help clinicians, managers and researchers measure client outcomes in a valid, clinically meaningful way.