Get Patient Specific Functional Scale

The score on the functional status scale, specifically the Patient Specific Functional Scale, ranges from 0 to 10. A higher score indicates better functional ability, while a lower score suggests greater difficulty in performing daily activities. Understanding these scores helps healthcare professionals tailor interventions to improve the patient's quality of life and functional independence.

A functional assessment is scored by having individuals rate their performance on specific activities. For the Patient Specific Functional Scale, patients provide scores based on their perceived ability to perform selected tasks. These scores are then averaged to give a comprehensive view of the patient's functional status, which can guide treatment decisions and monitor progress.

The Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) for the Patient Specific Functional Scale refers to the smallest change that can be detected with confidence, indicating a true change in a patient’s functional ability. Understanding the MDC is crucial for clinicians to interpret score changes accurately. This allows for better treatment planning and adjustments in therapy, ensuring that patients achieve their functional goals.

A functional assessment scale is a tool used to evaluate an individual's ability to perform activities of daily living. The Patient Specific Functional Scale is a prime example, as it focuses on patient-centered activities that are important to the individual. This scale helps healthcare providers understand a patient's functional limitations and track progress over time.

To score the Patient Specific Functional Scale, first identify the activities that are most important to the individual patient. Next, the patient rates their ability to perform these activities on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means they cannot perform the activity and 10 means they can perform it without any difficulty. Finally, you calculate the average score from the ratings provided to assess the overall functional status.

The PSFS is a self-reported valid, reliable, and responsive outcome measure for patients with back, neck, knee and upper extremity problems. It has also been shown to have a high test-retest reliability in both generic lower back pain and knee dysfunction issues.

The PSFS focuses on the patient's opinion of their function, and requires the physiotherapist to ask the patient to list three activities that are limited by the condition for which they are seeking treatment, the overall PSFS score is an average of all three activities scores.

Functional outcome measures quantify a patient's improvement of function throughout an episode of care. Physical therapy outcome measures allow therapists to create a definitive baseline of patient ability and compare advancements in function in real-time.

The Patient-Specific Functional Scale: Psychometrics, Clinimetrics, and Application as a Clinical Outcome Measure | Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy.