Comparison of quality-of-life instruments for assessing the participation after stroke based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

Background: According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the participation component is considered to be the most complex component characterized in existing instruments that assess quality of life related to health (HRQoL). Questionnaires such as the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SS-QOL) are currently used to evaluate the participation of individuals in life activities after stroke. However, because participation and HRQoL are different constructs, it is unclear whether these instruments are best suited to this evaluation. Objective: To investigate whether the NHP and SS-QOL are suitable instruments for assessing the participation component of ICF. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which a sample of 35 individuals completed the SS-QOL and NHP. The study correlated the total score on the questionnaires with the scores on items that evaluate the participation component of the ICF. Both analyses used the Spearman correlation coefficient (r). Results: There was a statistically significant, positive and strong correlation between total score on the SS-QOL and NHP and the score on specific components related to participation (r=0.8, p=0.001 and r=0.9, p=0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Both the NHP and the SS-QOL show strong correlations between the total score and the score on items that assess the participation categories of the ICF. However, the SS-QOL questionnaire appeared to be the most complete for this assessment because it evaluates more distinct domains and contains the largest number of items related to participation.