The impact of ‘functioning as focus in care’ on health status in terms of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in patients with a hematological-oncological disease

Abstract

Background. The current healthcare is mainly focused on curing the disease instead of experienced physical and psychosocial functioning. The international classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) can be used to describe patients’ functioning. To focus on functioning, improving health will be the central concept in contrast to curing the disease. ‘Functioning as focus in care’ is a new care strategy and will be tested in daily practice. Aim. To determine the impact of a new care strategy called ‘functioning as focus in care’ on patients’ current and desirable status of functioning in terms of ICF in hematological oncological patients’ admitted at a hematological department. Method. This study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, with a control- and intervention group. Data is collected using the ‘last’ thermometer questionnaire and daily nursing visits whereby functioning was discussed. Two-sample-t-test is used to analyse thermometer scores to identify changes in mean values between groups. Functioning is analysed using frequency of the ICF categories and its value. Association between the ICF categories with the Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Results. Thermometer scores shows an average of 6.7 at T0 and 6.2 at T1 in intervention- and control group, showing no significant difference (p=1.000). Gender had a significant effect on thermometer scores (p=0.017). Analysing functioning revealed the 30% most used ICF categories. Data about patients desirable status of functioning was lacking and it was therefore unable to compare patients current and desirable status of functioning. Conclusion. The results demonstrated no impact on status of functioning in hematological oncological patients due to the low frequency of nursing visits during hospitalization. The study proved unable to determine patients’ desirable status of functioning and may be used as a zero measurement for functioning in hematological patients. Recommendations. Repeating the intervention with continued efforts for a longer study period was recommended.