[Psychometric Testing of a Generic Assessment Tool for the Identification of Biopsychosocial Impairments in Persons with an Approval for Medical Rehabilitation].

BACKGROUND: In Germany, different rehabilitation measures were developed for patients with problems due to their specific chronic disease. The aim of the study was to test a generic assessment tool for a valid identification of disability patterns. This tool can effectively display the demand of specific rehabilitation measures in the medical rehabilitation.
METHODS: The generic assessment tool was tested in a representative sample of individuals who have been granted a medical rehabilitation by the German Federal Pension Insurance. With this sample, we performed a cross-sectional study.
RESULTS: Full data were available for 2 530 persons. Our analyses showed good psychometric properties of the integrated instruments concerning missing rate, ceiling and floor effects, reliability and factorial validity. We could identify a 3-dimensional structure of the assessment tool according to the biopsychosocial model.
CONCLUSION: The presented assessment tool is suitable for the identification of biopsychosocial impairments and resources. This can help to allocate patients with chronic diseases in appropriate rehabilitation facilities and therapeutic modules. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.