Disease-Specific Functional Status Assessment

Abstract

There are several compelling reasons to assess functional status of patients treated by family physicians. Of these reasons, the evaluation of therapeutic interventions as related to clinical outcome, is perhaps the most important. Outcome evaluations are generally made using objective measures, such as reduction in blood pressure, change in selected laboratory values (e.g., serum creatinine and calcium), and crude qualitative patient responses expressed as “less pain” or “feeling better.” Yet, even precise laboratory results give an incomplete picture of the clinical situation. A patient taking antihypertensive medication who has achieved normal blood pressure may be incapicitated from the medication’s side effects. Chemotherapy can disable the patient in whom there is radiological evidence of tumor regression. Clearly, the current assessment of outcomes of treatment in ambulatory patients is both incomplete and imprecise. Functional status assessment is required in addition to precisely defined clinical end points.