MEASURING PARTICIPATION BASED ON THE INSIDERS AND THE OUTSIDERS PERSPECTIVE; PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE GHENT PARTICIPATION SCALE (GPS)

Background: The component of participation is in the ICF the embodiment of the paradigm-shift from a biomedical towards a bio-psycho-social model. By means of qualitative research a self-administered participation-measure,... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
The component of participation is in the ICF the embodiment of the paradigm-shift from a biomedical towards a bio-psycho-social model. By means of qualitative research a self-administered participation-measure, based on the insiders’ and the outsiders’ perspective has been developed using the ICF-codes and -qualifiers; the Ghent Participation Scale: GPS. It was the objective to examine the psychometric properties.
Method:
356 former rehabilitation outpatients from 6 facilities were involved. An exploratory factora-nalysis was performed to determine underlying dimensions. Statistical coherence was expressed in item-total correlations and Cronbach’s α coefficient. The Impact on participation and autonomy (IPA) and the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation Participation (USER–P) were included as a reference measures to define the construct-validity. Intrarater-reliability was assessed by means of an Intra-Class-Correlation-coefficient (ICC). The standardized response mean (SRM) and the Area Under the Curve (AUC) were calculated to detect change over time.
Results:
Intrarater-reliability was shown by a strong ICC (0.894). Consistency between the items was strong (α=0.76 – 0.92). Construct-validity was shown by strong correlations between the GPS and the IPA (range, r= -0.71 to -0.87) and the User-P (range, r= 0.54 to 0.72). SRM ranged between 0.23 and 0.68 and the AUC ranged between 68 and 88%.
Conclusion:
The GPS appears to be a valid and reliable participation-measure, it is responsive and able to detect changes over time.
Application to practice:
Since it is argued that participation is a critical component in the rehabilitation process this measure could help OT’s in their clinical decision making.