[A review of functional status evaluation instruments in the elderly].

The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment is characterized as a functional and interdisciplinary evaluation. The first step is the assessment of functional status, which lies at the core of the procedure and can be defined by the level at which an individual performs roles and activities of daily living. Such assessment can be carried out by instruments (questionnaires) whose conceptual framework and psychometric properties must be well-defined. The present study systematically reviewed published data on the properties of the functional status measurement instruments and their adaptation and use in Brazil, through a search of the medical literature in reference textbooks and the LILACS and MEDLINE databases. After selection of the instruments, the next step consisted of a systematic scrutiny of validation, replication, and cultural adaptation studies. Thirty instruments were included according to explicit criteria. Only two, the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 and the Health Assessment Questionnaire, were found to have equivalence studies in Brazil. However, some of these were apparently used in this country without any formal adaptation. The cultural adaptation of functional status measurement instruments is incomplete and inconsistent in Brazil.