Exploring the Relationship Between International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health Items Linked to Clinical Assessments in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Background: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Child and Youth version (ICF-CY) is designed to record the characteristics of developing children and examine the influence of a child’s environment on their health. Objects: This study was designed to determine the relationship between the clinically extracted ICF-CY items and The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) items. Methods: Thirty patients (17 males and 13 females) who were hospitalized in a pediatric and youth patient unit of a rehabilitation hospital were included in the study. Four health professionals(two physical therapists and two occupational therapists) working independently linked the PEDI and GMFM-66 items to the activity and participation domains of the ICF-CY. Results: There were strong negative correlations between the ICF-CY subdomains and the PEDI subdomains (r = 0.76-0.95; p < 0.05). There were positive strong correlations between the ICF-CY subdomains and the GMFM-66 (r = 0.76-0.95; p < 0.05). Conclusion: The extracted ICF codes were a valid tool for evaluating the mobility and selfcare conditions of cerebral palsy in the pediatric rehabilitation area.