Development of an ICF-based patient education program

ObjectiveTo describe the development of an ICF-based patient education program, to present the results of its pilot test and to present the adaptations and final version of the program.MethodsThe education program was developed in five steps: (1) definition of relevant areas of functioning, (2) development of strategies to enhance self-efficacy in these areas, (3) development of material and instructions, (4) definition of modules and setting and (5) performance of a pilot test targeting acceptability and feasibility of the program.ResultsEleven stroke patients were enrolled in the pilot test. The intervention was well accepted on the part of participants. The developed patient education program is structured in three modules. Module 1 targets to increase patients’ understanding of their current level of functioning. Module 2 targets to identify concrete problems and corresponding solutions regarding limited areas. Module 3 is a refresher session.ConclusionFeasibility and acceptability of the intervention were verified and a final version of the patient education program was developed. The effectiveness of the program will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.Practice implicationsDue to the universality of the ICF and availability of ICF tools, it is possible to adapt the intervention to different chronic conditions.