Measurement Properties of the Spinal Cord Injury-Functional Index (SCI-FI) Short Forms

Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2014 · DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2014.01.031 · Published: July 1, 2014

Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Research Methodology & Design

Simple Explanation

The study evaluates the Spinal Cord Injury Functional Index (SCI-FI) short forms to measure physical function after spinal cord injury. These short forms assess Basic Mobility, Self-Care, Fine Motor, Ambulation, Manual Wheelchair, and Power Wheelchair abilities. The researchers examined how well the short forms correlate with the full item bank, a 10-item computer adaptive test, and assessed ceiling and floor effects, along with test information functions. The results showed the SCI-FI short forms have good internal consistency, reliability, and minimal ceiling and floor effects, making them useful when computer adaptive testing isn't possible.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

855 individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury

Evidence Level

Cross-sectional cohort study

Key Findings

1
SCI-FI short forms demonstrate very good internal consistency and group-level reliability.
2
Excellent correlations were found between short forms and scores based on the total item bank.
3
Minimal ceiling and floor effects were observed, with some exceptions for specific abilities depending on paraplegia or tetraplegia.

Research Summary

The study aimed to develop and evaluate short forms for the SCI-FI item banks to measure functional abilities in individuals with SCI when computer adaptive testing (CAT) is not feasible. The SCI-FI short forms, with separate versions for individuals with paraplegia and tetraplegia, demonstrated high reliability, minimal ceiling and floor effects, and excellent correlations with the full item banks and CAT versions. The authors conclude that the SCI-FI short forms are a useful and simple method for clinicians and researchers to collect functional status information with high-quality psychometric properties.

Practical Implications

Clinical Practice

Clinicians can use the SCI-FI short forms to efficiently assess patient functional status at bedside or in a clinic without needing specialized software.

Research Applications

Researchers can use the SCI-FI short forms to collect reliable data with reduced respondent burden, enabling more comprehensive assessments in research studies.

Accessibility

The availability of the SCI-FI instruments at no charge through the NIH Assessment Center allows resource-limited environments to collect patient-reported outcomes at low cost.

Study Limitations

1
The sample may not be representative of the universe of people with SCI in the United States or in other countries.
2
Self-selection bias due to participants receiving an honorarium.
3
The SF statistics assume that there was no context effect in administration.

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