ICF Core Set for Primary Care Physiotherapy

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Primary care physiotherapy services provide community-based care for musculoskeletal conditions. These conditions are often associated with disability and impact on patients' quality of life. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is the global framework for describing disability. ICF Core Sets are ICF-based tools that facilitate the clinical use of this classification. The development of these tools follows a scientific process that combines the perspectives of researchers, patients, professionals, and the care setting. Our research team has conducted preliminary studies and identified candidate ICF categories with good potential for inclusion in a preliminary version of an ICF Core Set for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions in community physical therapy settings. The aim of this study is to confirm the relevance of the candidate categories and to develop a final version of this ICF Core Set.

Detailed Description
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Primary care physiotherapy services provide community-based care for musculoskeletal conditions. These conditions are often associated with disability and impact on patients' quality of life. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is the global framework for describing disability. ICF Core Sets are ICF-based tools that facilitate the clinical use of this classification. Some ICF Core Sets are designed to describe the functioning of patients with musculoskeletal problems. These Core Sets are focused on the acute phase, typical of emergency care, and the post-acute phase, intended for multidisciplinary teams in rehabilitation centers. However, no ICF core set exists for the final stages of these conditions, when the patient has been reintegrated into the community. The development of ICF Core Sets follows a scientific process that integrates the perspectives of researchers, patients, professionals, and the care setting. Therefore, preparatory studies have been carried out, taking as a reference the physiotherapy services in primary care, where most of these conditions are treated. These preparatory studies have made it possible to draw up a list of ICF categories that are candidates for being part of an ICF core set specific to these services. To confirm the relevance of these categories, a cross-sectional observational study will be developed by recruiting a group of experts. The experts will carry out two rounds of the survey according to the Delphi method. To be part of this group, sufficient expertise in the field of primary care physiotherapy will be required. The categories that reach consensus among these experts will be proposed in the development of a tailored ICF Core Set for primary care physiotherapy services. The aim of this study is to confirm the relevance of the candidate categories and to develop a final version of an ICF Core Set for the management of musculoskeletal conditions in a primary care physiotherapy clinical setting. The availability of this tool would allow guiding physical therapy assessments, selecting optimal outcome measures, implementing person-centered care, and systematically recording clinical data.

Official Title
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Development of an ICF Core Set for the Management of Musculoskeletal Conditions in Primary Care Physiotherapy Services

Conditions
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Musculoskeletal Diseases

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Expert survey


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Be physiotherapists working in a primary care setting for the duration of the study. Have more than 5 years of experience in this clinical setting. Evidence of completion of at least 200 hours of additional training, teaching, research, and/or administrative activities related to the clinical setting. Exclusion Criteria: Work in a rehabilitation center or hospital context.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 26 Years
Maximum Age: 67 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Expert panel<br>This group will be composed of experts in primary care physiotherapy. | Other: Expert survey<br>* The expert group will participate in a two-round survey using the Delphi method. The first round aims to assess the relevance of the proposed ICF categories and to identify missing concepts. The second round will aim to confirm the appropriateness of including the selected categories in the ICF core set. Each round will last 3 weeks and the experts will be provided with feedback on the results obtained.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Relevance of candidate ICF categories (First Delphi Round) | The relevance of the categories will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale: not relevant (score 1), hardly relevant (score 2), somewhat relevant (score 3), relevant (score 4) and very relevant (score 5). | 2024-01/2024-06 | 
| Judgment on the clinical utility of the selected ICF categories (Second Delphi Round) | Dichotomous question (yes/no) on the appropriateness of including or excluding the most relevant ICF categories in the ICF core set. | 2024-01/2024-06 | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Missing functioning concepts (First Delphi Round) | Open-ended question related to ICF | 2024-01/2024-06 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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ICF, Musculoskeletal Diseases, Physical Therapy Modalities, Primary Health Care, Community Health Services