Functional Assessment and Outcome Measures for the Rehabilitation Health Professional.

Dittmar SS, Gresham GE, eds. Gaithersburg, MD 20878, Aspen Publishers Inc, 1997, hardcover, 233 pp, $49.

This book is an excellent resource on assessment tools that measure functional outcomes. The authors have written a concise but thorough book covering the major issues related to the use of functional outcome measures.

The first chapter presents an overview of the terminology related to rehabilitation outcome measures and a brief history of functional assessment in rehabilitation. The second chapter clearly delineates guidelines for selecting an outcome measurement tool. This chapter also addresses the pros and cons of developing a tool in addition to how to search for and retrieve existing tools. Chapter 3 reviews the importance of reliability, validity, and sensitivity of measurement in rehabilitation. The next chapter describes the various categories of outcome tools, and chapter 5 discusses the relationships between general health measures and functional assessment measures.

Assessment of environment and accessibility is thoroughly reviewed in chapter 6. This chapter discusses instruments designed to measure the role of the environment in disability. Psychological and psychosocial factors and their impact on function are addressed in chapter 7, with a brief discussion of how to find specific assessment tools for these aspects of rehabilitation. Chapter 8 addresses technological factors, their impact on disability and quality of life, and how to determine and assess this impact.

Appendix A, the largest section of the book, contains 36 different assessment tools, divided into two categories: measures that determine disability (30) and those that assess societal limitations (6). This appendix is a compendium of functional assessment tools. Each tool is discussed in terms of design, reliability, and validity. In most cases, the actual tools are included along with instructions on scoring the items. Appendix B lists books, journals, and resources for additional information on functional assessment; the addresses and phone numbers of additional contracts are also listed. Finally, a complete index allows easy access to specific topics in the book.

As the title indicates, this text focuses exclusively on the patient or client receiving rehabilitation services. This text does not address services or the tools that assess high-level or occupational functions. Clinicians assessing outcomes for clients in outpatient orthopedic, occupational health, or pain clinics may not find the tools included in this book helpful in their practice. However, this is an excellent resource for evaluating the many functional assessment tools available. Its concise coverage of the topic makes it an easy-to-use, quick reference for busy professionals. The background and information on selecting an outcome measurement tool are pertinent to any clinical setting.

Leslie Torburn, PT Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford Palo Alto, Calif

Ms Torburn is a research physical therapist in the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford and a physical therapist with TherAmerica Medical Staffing. She has participated in research that has led to the development of a functional outcome measurement tool for use in an outpatient setting.