TY - JOUR
T1 - The frail elderly functional assessment questionnaire
T2 - Its responsiveness and validity in alternative settings
AU - Gloth, F. Michael
AU - Scheve, Ann A.
AU - Shah, Sanjay
AU - Ashton, Rendell
AU - McKinney, Robert
PY - 1999/12
Y1 - 1999/12
N2 - Objective: To test the Frail Elderly Functional Assessment (FEFA) questionnaire for responsiveness (sensitivity to change) to low-level functional tasks in a frail elderly cohort and to evaluate its validity over the telephone or when administered to a caregiver proxy. Subjects: Fifty- eight elderly patients from three urban inpatient rehabilitation settings and an outpatient geriatrics center. Methods: A prospective, clinical, comparative trial. The FEFA questionnaire was administered serially. For validity, subjects were observed performing the tasks on the questionnaire within 24 hours of each interview. For responsiveness, repeat measures were performed within a 1- to 2-week period. Validity and sensitivity to change (responsiveness) of the questionnaire were determined by correlating patient responses to direct observations by rehabilitation staff. Responsiveness was also determined based on the Guyatt technique that divides clinically significant change by the normal variance, σ/(2x [mean squared error])(1/2), as well as by measures of effect size, standardized response means, and relative efficiency tests for responsiveness. To evaluate FEFA validity in alternative settings, kappa statistic and regression analyses were used based on the previously validated interviewer-administered format. Results: Responsiveness was excellent with effect size (.35), standardized response means (.48), and relative efficiency (2.67) tests as well as Guyatt (1.26). There was 83% agreement when compared with FEFA task performance. Regression between change in FEFA score versus performance testing was significant (r2 = .33; p = .01). ANOVA was significant at a p = .03 for FEFA scores at first measure in rehabilitation compared to second. Correlation for caregiver proxy administration was .92 (p ≤ .0001) and for telephone administration was .99 (p < .0001). Conclusions: The FEFA questionnaire, previously demonstrated to be reliable and valid, is sensitive to functional change (responsive) in frail elderly people. It is also valid when administered by phone or to a caregiver proxy.
AB - Objective: To test the Frail Elderly Functional Assessment (FEFA) questionnaire for responsiveness (sensitivity to change) to low-level functional tasks in a frail elderly cohort and to evaluate its validity over the telephone or when administered to a caregiver proxy. Subjects: Fifty- eight elderly patients from three urban inpatient rehabilitation settings and an outpatient geriatrics center. Methods: A prospective, clinical, comparative trial. The FEFA questionnaire was administered serially. For validity, subjects were observed performing the tasks on the questionnaire within 24 hours of each interview. For responsiveness, repeat measures were performed within a 1- to 2-week period. Validity and sensitivity to change (responsiveness) of the questionnaire were determined by correlating patient responses to direct observations by rehabilitation staff. Responsiveness was also determined based on the Guyatt technique that divides clinically significant change by the normal variance, σ/(2x [mean squared error])(1/2), as well as by measures of effect size, standardized response means, and relative efficiency tests for responsiveness. To evaluate FEFA validity in alternative settings, kappa statistic and regression analyses were used based on the previously validated interviewer-administered format. Results: Responsiveness was excellent with effect size (.35), standardized response means (.48), and relative efficiency (2.67) tests as well as Guyatt (1.26). There was 83% agreement when compared with FEFA task performance. Regression between change in FEFA score versus performance testing was significant (r2 = .33; p = .01). ANOVA was significant at a p = .03 for FEFA scores at first measure in rehabilitation compared to second. Correlation for caregiver proxy administration was .92 (p ≤ .0001) and for telephone administration was .99 (p < .0001). Conclusions: The FEFA questionnaire, previously demonstrated to be reliable and valid, is sensitive to functional change (responsive) in frail elderly people. It is also valid when administered by phone or to a caregiver proxy.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0003-9993(99)90332-5
DO - 10.1016/S0003-9993(99)90332-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 10597808
AN - SCOPUS:0032786062
SN - 0003-9993
VL - 80
SP - 1572
EP - 1576
JO - Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
JF - Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
IS - 12
ER -