Article

Functional mobility is necessary to perform activities of daily living
and for community participation for everyone, but especially important for
persons with disabilities (PWD). Therefore, functional mobility requires reliable
measurement of consumer satisfaction and functional changes. The functional
mobility assessment (FMA) instrument is a self-report outcomes tool designed to
measure effectiveness of wheeled mobility and seating (WMS) interventions for
PWD. This study examined the test-retest reliability of the FMA, and the
stability of self-reported performance items. METHOD: A repeated-measures cohort
study was conducted at the Center for Assistive Technology, at the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center. Participants (n = 41) completed an initial FMA
questionnaire, and were re-administered the questionnaire within 7-21 days of the
first questionnaire completion. The study sample included 20 participants who
were non-WMS users but in the process of being evaluated for a device and 21
participants who were existing WMS users. Intra-Class Correlation coefficients
(ICC) were computed to determine agreement between the two scores. RESULTS:
Test-retest reliability scores for all items and participants were above the
acceptable value for a clinical assessment tool (>/=0.80). Responses on the FMA
of Existing WMS users and non-WMS users did not differ significantly at test or
retest. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that the FMA was a reliable and stable tool
for assessing the functional performance of individuals who use or need WMS
interventions.

Langue : ANGLAIS