Objective: To validate the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the early post-acute and long-term context from the perspective of physical therapists.
Setting: International.
Methods: Physical therapists experienced in the treatment of SCI were asked about problems, resources and aspects of the environment treated by them, in a three-round electronic mail survey using the Delphi technique. Responses were linked to the ICF by two researches; κ-coefficient was calculated as statistical measure of agreement.
Results: In all, 81 experts from 27 countries named 3694 concepts. They were linked to 187 ICF categories for the early post-acute context. Three ICF categories from the component body function, five ICF categories from the component body structures and two ICF categories from the component activities and participation were not represented in the ICF Core Set for the early post-acute context. In all, 207 ICF categories were linked for the long-term context. Four ICF categories from the component body function, five ICF categories from the component body structures and two ICF categories from the component activities and participation were not represented in the ICF Core Set for the long-term context.
Conclusion: Physical therapists addressed a vast variety of problems that they take care of in their interventions in patients with SCI. The Comprehensive ICF Core Sets covered a high percentage of these problems. Further research is necessary on several responses not covered in the ICF.