Using ICF to Describe Problems With Functioning in Everyday Life for Children Who Completed Treatment for Brain Tumor: An Analysis Based on Professionals' Documentation.
Ann-Christin Björklund, Mats Granlund, Sheila Judge Santacroce and 3 others
PMID 36188761WHAT IT FOUND
Records for nine brain tumor survivors focused almost exclusively on body functions, ignoring how these problems link to school and social participation.
Therapists should stop assuming medical charts capture daily life barriers and explicitly document activity limitations and environmental supports.
Key findings
01Professionals documented problems primarily at the body function level, with little attention to activity or participation.
02Documentation failed to explicitly link body function problems to everyday life activities, obscuring the full picture of the child's needs.
03Central problems identified across records included energy levels, memory, pain, and school education, forming networks that connect physical symptoms to daily functioning.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (9 children), limiting generalizability. The study relied on existing documentation, which may not accurately reflect the child's actual everyday life experiences. ICF codes were analyzed by frequency only, without severity qualifiers, so the impact of the problems was not measured. Coding was primarily done by one author with mentorship, rather than by two independent coders, which may affect reliability.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation and the Swedish Brain Foundation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the network diagrams as proof that these specific problem clusters cause each other. The study only shows that these problems were frequently documented together in records, which may reflect professional habits rather than the child's actual lived experience.