Standardized questionnaires for assessing postoperative physical function showed high agreement with classifications made by experienced clinicians.
RCT
Do standardized questionnaires accurately measure postoperative physical function compared to clinician assessment in elective surgical patients?
Standardized questionnaires are a valid tool for assessing postoperative physical function in elective surgical patients, showing high agreement with clinician assessments.
Data-gathering instruments were used in a randomized controlled trial, designed to assess a structured preoperative educational program for elective surgical patients. The key dependent variable was the physical functional capacity of patients following surgery. Questionnaires were developed to measure physical functioning in the immediate postoperative period, after discharge from hospital, and 10 days and 33 days after surgery. Statistical techniques used to measure interobserver agreement and bias were worker's chi square, Cicchett's statistic, the contingency coefficient, Kendall's Taub, and Kendall's coefficient of concordance W. The standardized questionnaires permitted classification of patients's postoperative physical functions with results that agreed highly with the classification done by experienced clinicians who cared for the same patients.
Fortin et al. (Tue,) conducted a rct in Elective surgery. Standardized questionnaires for physical functioning vs. Experienced clinicians' classification was evaluated on Interobserver agreement and bias for physical functional capacity. Standardized questionnaires for assessing postoperative physical function showed high agreement with classifications made by experienced clinicians.