Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spinal Cord Injury–Functional Index
(SCI-FI) instruments in a community-dwelling sample.
Design
Cross-sectional study.
Setting
Community setting.
Participants
Individuals (N=269) recruited from 6 SCI Model Systems sites.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Participants completed computer adaptive test and short form versions of 4 SCI-FI/Capacity
(C) banks (ie, Ambulation, Basic Mobility, Fine Motor, Self-Care) and 1 SCI-FI/Assistive
Technology (AT) bank (Wheelchair Mobility) at baseline and after 2 weeks. The Self-Report
Functional Measure (SRFM) and the clinician-rated motor FIM were used to evaluate
evidence of convergent validity.
Results
Pearson correlations, intraclass correlation coefficients, minimal detectable change,
and Bland-Altman plots supported the test-retest reliability of the SCI-FI instruments.
Correlations were large with the SRFM (.69-.89) and moderate-to-large for the FIM
instrument (.44-.64), supporting convergent validity. Known-groups validity was demonstrated
by a significant main effect of injury level on all instruments and a main effect
of injury completeness on the SCI-FI/C instruments. A ceiling effect was detected
for individuals with incomplete paraplegia on the Fine Motor/C and Self-Care/C Short
Forms.
Conclusion
Findings support the test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and known-groups
validity of the SCI-FI/C instruments and the SCI-FI/AT Wheelchair Mobility instruments
for use by community-dwelling individuals.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
AT (assistive technology), CAT (computer adaptive test), ICC (intraclass correlation coefficient), IRT (item response theory), MDC (minimal detectable change), NIH (National Institutes of Health), QOL (quality of life), SCI (spinal cord injury), SCI-FI (Spinal Cord Injury–Functional Index), SCI-FI/AT (Spinal Cord Injury–Functional Index/Assistive Technology), SCI-FI/C (Spinal Cord Injury–Functional Index/Capacity), SEM (standard error of measurement), SRFM (Self-Report Functional Measure)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: January 12, 2021
Footnotes
Supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (grant nos. H133N060022 , H133N060024 , H133N060014 , H133N060005 , H133N060027 , and H133N060032 ).
All SCI-FI items, parameters, and data are ©2015 David Tulsky, Kessler Foundation, and Boston University. All rights reserved. All SCI-FI items originally from Neuro-QoL are ©2008-2013 David Cella on behalf of the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). All items are freely available to the public upon request (contact [email protected] ).
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
