Identification of the most common patient problems in patients with chronic conditions using the ICF checklist

OBJECTIVE: To identify the most common patient problems in patients with 12 different chronic conditions using the ICF checklist. METHODS: A multi-centre, cross-sectional study with convenient samples of patients who had received a clinical diagnosis of any of 12 different chronic conditions undergoing inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation. To describe the population, age, gender, and the SF-36 were recorded. Data for 917 patients from 33 rehabilitation centres were analysed. RESULTS: Most of the ICF-checklist categories were common to at least 1 condition. Pain was the sole category of 125 ICF-checklist categories that was common to all chronic conditions. Patients with low back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes mellitus did not often experience the problems listed in the ICF-checklist. CONCLUSION: The main finding, that in most conditions categories from each component were common, underscores the need to address all components when assessing functioning and health in patients with chronic conditions.