Abstract
Background: The validity of the Functional Capacity Index (FCI) is evaluated by examining its distributional characteristics, its correlation with other well-known measures of outcome and its ability to discriminate among persons with injuries of varying type and severity. Methods: A telephone survey which included the FCI and the SF-36 was administered 1 year post-injury to 1240 blunt trauma patients discharged from 12 trauma centers. A subsample of 656 patients also completed the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) by mail. Results: FCI scores correlated well with the physical health subscores of the SIP and SF-36. They also correlated well with self-reported change in health status and return to work. The FCI, when compared to either the SF-36 or the SIP, however, appears to discriminate better among patients according to the presence and severity of head trauma. Conclusions: While further testing of the FCI is needed, it holds promise as a preference based measure for assessing the physical impact of trauma.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 797-808 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Quality of Life Research |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2002 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health