Severity Classification of Functional Impairment Based on ICF Qualifiers: A New Proposal for Assessing Individuals With Pulmonary Hypertension.
Jonathan Dalavina, Ivan Peres Costa, Etiene FarahTeixeira de Carvalho and 3 others
PMID 40702665WHAT IT FOUND
ICF-based walk-test qualifiers did not show an association with WHO functional class in adults with pulmonary hypertension, although ICF groups differed in walk distance.
Key findings
01Of 33 participants, 39.39% were classified as mild/no impairment, 42.42% as moderate impairment, and 18.18% as severe impairment by ICF-based walk performance.
02The ICF groups differed significantly in walk distance and percentage of predicted walk distance.
03ICF qualifiers were not significantly associated with WHO functional class.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Convenience sampling from one centre limits how far the findings can be generalised. The cross-sectional design cannot show change over time or prove causality. The lack of association between ICF qualifiers and WHO functional class may reflect different concepts rather than a clinically usable relationship. The proposed classification was not tested against patient outcomes, treatment response, or changes in management.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the ICF-based classification as evidence that it improves patient outcomes or changes management. The study was observational and did not test the classification against clinical events or treatment response.