Validação do questionário Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) para avaliação da capacidade funcional, por meio de contato telefônico, em indivíduos com Doença de Parkinson

Abstract

Introduction: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a chronic-degenerative and progressive disorder of the central nervous system, more prevalent in the elderly, characterized by both motor and non-motor changes. Given the decline in physical abilities and in carrying out activities of daily living, it is crucial to establish a suitable method for assessing functional capacity for this population. The Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) is an easily administered and low-cost questionnaire, capable of measuring the functional capacity of individuals. Currently, there are no studies validating the DASI in the PD population, especially through telephone calls. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a need to validate new ways of administering questionnaires, particularly remotely. Objective: To validate the DASI questionnaire for assessing the functional capacity of individuals with PD through telephone contact. Objective: To validate the DASI questionnaire for assessing the functional capacity of individuals with PD through telephone contact. Materials and Methods: This is a methodological study in which individuals diagnosed with PD were included. Sociodemographic and clinical data were initially obtained, and subsequently, the patients underwent the DASI on two occasions: face-to-face and by telephone, both conducted by the same examiner. To compare the mean differences in the total scores of the questionnaires administered face-to-face and by telephone, the Student's T-test was used, with a 95% confidence interval, to investigate the concurrent validity between the modes of application. The values obtained in each of the questionnaire items, administered face-to-face and by telephone, were compared using the Kappa coefficient. Results: Fifty-one PD patients were included in the study, with an average age of 66.9 (±8.5) years and an average diagnosis time of 106.7 (±65.0) months. No significant difference was observed between the averages of the scores obtained in both the face-to-face DASI application and via telephone contact (40.3±14.0 versus 40.7±13.5, respectively). Most of the questions showed substantial agreement (items 3, 5, 8, 10, and 12, 0.638 ≥ k ≤ 0.790) or almost perfect agreement (items 6, 7, and 9, 0.812 ≥ k ≤ 0.940) between the two DASI application routes, except for a single question which showed moderate agreement (item 11, k=0.497). Conclusions: The application of the DASI via telephone proved to be valid for assessing the functional capacity of individuals with PD.