Exploring the Use of Washington Group Questions to Identify People with Clinical Impairments Who Need Services including Assistive Products: Results from Five Population-Based Surveys

Dorothy Boggs, Hannah Kuper, Islay Mactaggart, Tess Bright, Murthy Gvs, Abba Hydara, Ian McCormick, Natalia Tamblay, Matias L. Alvarez, Oluwarantimi Atijosan-Ayodele, Hisem Yonso, Allen Foster and Sarah Polack
Additional contact information
Dorothy Boggs: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Hannah Kuper: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Islay Mactaggart: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Tess Bright: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Murthy Gvs: International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Abba Hydara: Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre, Banjul P.O. Box 650, The Gambia
Ian McCormick: International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Natalia Tamblay: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7790680, Chile
Matias L. Alvarez: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330077, Chile
Oluwarantimi Atijosan-Ayodele: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Maidstone ME16 9QQ, UK
Hisem Yonso: Relief International, Istanbul 34087, Turkey
Allen Foster: International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Sarah Polack: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: This study analyses the use of the self-reported Washington Group (WG) question sets as a first stage screening to identify people with clinical impairments, service and assistive product (AP) referral needs using different cut-off levels in four functional domains (vision, hearing, mobility and cognition). Secondary data analysis was undertaken using population-based survey data from five countries, including one national survey (The Gambia) and four regional/district surveys (Cameroon, Chile, India and Turkey). In total 19,951 participants were sampled (range 538–9188 in individual studies). The WG question sets on functioning were completed for all participants alongside clinical impairment assessments/questionnaires. Using the WG “some/worse difficulty” cut-off identified people with mild/worse impairments with variable sensitivity (44–79%) and specificity (73–92%) in three of the domains. At least 64% and 60% of people with mild/worse impairments who required referral for surgical/medical and rehabilitation/AP services, respectively, self-reported “some/worse difficulty”, and much fewer reported “a lot/worse difficulty.” For moderate/worse impairment, both screening cut-offs improved identification of service/AP need, but a smaller proportion of people with need were identified. In conclusion, WG questions could be used as a first-stage screening option to identify people with impairment and referral needs, but only with moderate sensitivity and specificity.

Keywords: surveys; impairment; functioning; screening; rehabilitation; assistive products; Cameroon; Chile; India; The Gambia; Turkey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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