Biomedical Engineering Reference
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taking a fundamental role in the following attainment of a good match between the user
and the AT, in which the match is only a component of the outcome.
Verza et al. (2006) also suggested a model focused on the involvement of the user, his or
her family, and the rehabilitation team. They highlighted four main reasons for explaining
the AT abandonment phenomenon:
1. A change in health conditions,
2. Rejection of the AT,
3. Inadequacy/absence of information and training, and
4. Inappropriateness of the AT.
It follows that a careful outcome analysis of an AT is fundamental for a good match.
2.3 Suggested Measurement Tools for an ATA Process
In this section, we briefly describe some suggested tools. The ICF Checklist (WHO 2003)
was developed as a practical tool to elicit clinicians' overall impressions of a patient's
condition. It allows the functioning profile of a subject to be described based on 128
codes selected among the thousands forming the whole ICF (WHO 2001).
The ICF Checklist is not a proper instrument for measurement or assessment: It provides
the possibility of “opening” the codes on the basis of identifying a person's functional
problem and, at the same time, establishes whether or not, and in which measure, the
environment acts as a barrier or facilitator for the person's activities. The ICF Checklist
is administered to the patient or his or her caregiver. It is structurally divided into four
parts: the introductory part, which includes biographical data, the ICD-10 code (WHO
1992), and a specification of the information source; the first part contains a list of codes
of body functions (b) and body structures (c); the second part contains a list of codes for
activities and participation (d); and finally, the third part contains a list of codes relating to
environmental factors (e).
An ICF Core Set (condition-specific) can be defined as
a selection of ICF domains that includes the least number of domains possible to be
practical, but as many as required to be sufficiently comprehensive to cover the pro-
totypical spectrum of limitations in functioning and health encountered in a specific
condition. (Stucki et al. 2002, p. 281)
In contrast, a generic ICF Core Set allows for a comparison of health across conditions
because its domains represent “the most relevant domains to include the least number of
domains possible to be practical, but as many as required to be sufficiently comprehensive
to cover the general spectrum of limitations in functioning and health” (Stucki et al. 2002,
p. 281).
The VABS (Sparrow et al. 2005) are designed to assess the adaptive level of personal
and social functioning of any individual, disabled or not. In other words, the VABS
measure  adaptive behavior, mainly in terms of social competence. The assessment of
 
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