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Validation of the Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health Core Set for multiple sclerosis from the perspective of physicians

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Abstract

The Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for multiple sclerosis (MS) is an application of the ICF to describe the typical spectrum of functioning in people with MS. The objective of this study was to validate the Comprehensive ICF Core Set for MS from the perspective of physicians. Using a three-round Delphi technique, physicians experienced in the MS treatment were requested to name patients’ problems, resources, and aspects of environment. The statements of the first Delphi round were linked to ICF categories based on established linking rules. These categories as well as the results of the second round were reported back to the participants. Eighty-four physicians participated in the study. Totally, 89 categories (64.5%) of the Comprehensive ICF Core Set for MS were confirmed by the participants. Eight ICF categories, which are currently not included in the ICF Core Set, were identified. The validity of the Comprehensive ICF Core Set for MS was largely affirmed by the physicians. However, some additional categories were named, which should be further discussed regarding a revised version of the Comprehensive ICF Core Set for MS.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung (1.01.1/06/008). We would like to thank the participants of the Delphi exercise for their valuable contribution and their time in responding to the questionnaires (in alphabetical order): El Hachmia Ait Ben Haddou, Albert Akpalu, Regina Ascheron, Rita Balkaitiene, Birgit Basedow-Rajwich, Robert W. Baumhefner, Krisztina Bencsik, Julián Benito-León, Roberto Bergamaschi, A.I. Bhigjee, Annette Bruinings, Ruggero Capra, Dieter Christöfl, Irene Damian, Vincent de Groot, Vida Demarin, Carlos A. Diaz Manzano, Benedicte Dubois, Maria-José Durà Mata, Nikolaos Fakas, Wolfgang Feneberg, Alexander Filippovich, Yara Fragoso, Jorge Fernandez Franco, Annette Fritz-Fiaux, Barbara Giesser, Stephan Graeber, Daniel Guillaume, Dorothea Heersema, Christoph Heesen, Thomas Henze, Rock Heyman, Alenka Horvat Ledinek, Stephan Ilsbroukx, Saša Šega Jazbec, Norman Kachuk, Rasa Kizlaitiene, Apichana Kovindha, Jörg Kraus, Dzifa Kuwornoo, Jan Lexell, Thien Thien Lim, Alessandra Lugaresi, Andrei Manu Marin, Debbie Mason, Hugh McIntyre, Emela Mujic Skikic, Oliver Neuhaus, Louisa Ng, Ugo Nocentini, Suzan Noori, Rory O′Connor, Anita Patel, Francesco Patti, Diane Playford, Cecilia Rajda, Francisco José Hernández Ramos, Udaya Ranawaka, Uroš Rot, Magnhild Sandberg-Wollheim, Pedro Guardado Santervás, Jaume Sastre-Garriga, Sue Shapland, Aksel Siva, Valerie Stevenson, Nirmal Surya, Mona Thakre, Ljubica Todorovic, Guntev Tsagaankhuu, Sabine Twork, Claude Vaney, Ton van Diepen, Galina Vorobeychik, Charles Wiles, Michael Yeung, and Jacek Zaborski.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (IBE), Chair for Public Health and Health Services Research, Research Unit for Biopsychosocial Health, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Marchioninistr. 17, 81377, Munich, Germany

    Stephanie Berno, Michaela Coenen, Andreas Leib & Alarcos Cieza

  2. ICF Research Branch in cooperation with the WHO Collaborating Centre for the Family of International Classifications in Germany (at DIMDI), Munich, Germany

    Michaela Coenen & Alarcos Cieza

  3. Department of Neurorehabilitation, Valens Rehabilitation Centre, Valens, Switzerland

    Jürg Kesselring

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  1. Stephanie Berno
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  2. Michaela Coenen
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  3. Andreas Leib
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  4. Alarcos Cieza
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  5. Jürg Kesselring
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Correspondence to Michaela Coenen.

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The responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the ICF Research Branch.

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Berno, S., Coenen, M., Leib, A. et al. Validation of the Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health Core Set for multiple sclerosis from the perspective of physicians. J Neurol 259, 1713–1726 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-011-6399-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-011-6399-9

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