Alvydas Juocevičius, Aušra Adomavičienė, Juozas Bernatavičius, Monika Jadzevičiūtė
Abstract
The aim – to evaluate the main benefits of ICF in people‘s after spinal cord injury functional independence related to employment. Gainful employment is important part of life persons after SCI. It providing financial security also provides an environment for social interaction, associated with a higher quality of life, better health or self-confidence. Rates of labor force participation among persons with SCI typically in not a high percentage, as different factors influencing their employment status. Assessment of condition of the person’s after SCI using a validated ICF Core Set for SCI could provide more detailed information about a person’s functioning, physical functions, mobility, environment and social support, which influenced social and working activity of persons after SCI. Evaluation of environmental factors using ICF makes it possible to predict the priorities of assistance to the persons after SCI and his family and identify the differences between the participation of individuals with similar functional level.
The study was carried out in ‘Landscape therapy and recreation centre’, located in Monciškių village during 2012 Jun-September in a summer camp. 51 persons with spinal cord injury were interviewed once after arriving to the summer camp by using Life Situation questionnaire (LSQ), for evaluation of functional independence was used the Functional independence measurement (FIM) and Barthel index. To evaluate people’s after SCI functioning, physical functions, mobility, environmental factors and social support were used validated ICF Core set for spinal cord injury.
In a study were observed people after SCI body functions, mobility and independence in daily living skills (independence eating, dressing, transferring from bed to wheelchair/ bath /car, bathing and personal hygiene). During the research 10 (10,2%) respondents were working, their age average 35 ±8.8 years. Time since SCI was 11,35±7,264 years.
Working respondents functional independence according FIM and Barthel index was higher (FIM was 104,4 ±17,7 score, Barthel index was 84,8 ±26,40 score (p<0,05)) compared with not working respondents (FIM was 84,4 ±26,40 score, Barthel index was 70 ±20,9 score (p<0,05). All working respondents live in a town and 34(66,2%) of them independently driving a car, according ICF persons after SCI indicate that it is medium and low barrier. Assessment of person’s after SCI according ICF activities and participations (d420, d4600, d4602) were indicated as a little barrier. The analyses of higher results of functional independence of working persons after SCI indicate their higher functional independence level and wider social and employment opportunities. The correlation analysis showed strong significant correlation between general scores of Barthel Index and ICF components results (eating, dressing, transferring, bathing, personal hygiene (p<0,05). Similar strong correlations were found between general scores of FIM and ICF components results: transferring, bathing, dressing, toileting, using wheelchair (p<0,05). ICF provides a comprehensive assessment of persons after SCI body functions, activities and participation, environmental factors, which influenced people after SCI social, working activities and employment possibilities. By using a validated ICF Core Set for SCI to assess of the person‘s after SCI condition could provide more detailed information about a person’s functioning, social and working participations possibilities between individuals with similar functional level after SCI.
Article in Lithuanian
Keyword(s): spinal cord injury; ICF; functional independence; work and employment
DOI: 10.5200/374
Full Text: PDF