Development of an ICF-based patient education program

Objective: To 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.

Methods: The 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.

Results: Eleven 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.

Conclusion: Feasibility 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 implications: Due to the universality of the ICF and availability of ICF tools, it is possible to adapt the intervention to different chronic conditions.