Title: Functional assessment – PM&R KnowledgeNow
Headings: Functional assessment
Functional assessment
Jump to:
1. Overview and Description
2. Relevance to Clinical Practice
3. Cutting Edge/unique Concepts/emerging Issues
4. Tables
Table 1. Quality of life and community re-integration assessment tools
Table 2: Palliative Care assessment tools
Table 3: Pediatric assessment tools
Table 4: Pain functional assessments
Table 5: Work Related Injuries Functional Assessment
Table 6: Activities of daily living scales
Table 7: Aerobic/Functional capacity measurements
Table 8: Balance assessment scales
Table 9: Cognitive
Table 10: Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury
Gaps in Knowledge/evidence Base
References
Author Disclosure

Content: 2
In the rehabilitation setting these instruments are commonly used to set rehabilitation goals, to develop specific therapeutic interventions and to monitor clinical changes. 3 They can assist in the evaluation of whether an injured worker is able to work and when that individual is able to return back to work. 4 From a research point of view, it has assisted in providing supporting evidence in order to develop, improve and attest to different evidence based treatments. Functional assessments evaluate specific things, such as grooming, bathing, dressing or more general aspect such as quality of life. 1 Assessments have to be valid, reliable and reproducible. They can be self-administered questionnaires or clinician administered. Each type of tool has its advantages and disadvantage, but what it is important is to be knowledgeable in regards to the tool being used, the variables that are intended to be measured and the instruments limitations. Currently and depending on the setting, functional assessments serve as a complementary tool for the management and treatment adjustment in rehabilitation. 2. Relevance to Clinical Practice
The scope of practice in Rehabilitation Medicine is wide and includes an array of conditions such as neurological (stroke, TBI, neurodegenerative), musculoskeletal (joint pain, tendinopathies, ligamentous injuries, balance dysfunction) pain syndromes, medical (deconditioning, cardiopulmonary), rheumatologic (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Connective Tissue Disorders) among others.