Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: Hearing loss (HL) affects the everyday functioning of millions of people worldwide. The Brief
International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) core sets for HL was developed to
meet the complex health care needs of adults with HL. Because the brief core set for HL has not yet
been validated internationally, this study aimed to investigate its validity from an international
perspective.
DESIGN: A cross-sectional validation study based on data from structured interviews with adults with HL.
STUDY SAMPLE: Participants (n ¼ 571) from India, South Africa, Sweden and the US were included.
RESULTS: A six-factor solution explained 71% of the variance, focussing on issues related to communication, the social environment, participation in society, health care services, support, relationships and emotions
(a ¼ 0.915). Three ICF categories demonstrated low reliability – temperament and personality functions, seeing functions and school education.
CONCLUSION: The Brief ICF core set for HL is valid for adults with HL internationally. However, to further
increase its international validity, we recommend adding the categories d920 recreation and leisure and
replacing d850 school education with the more inclusive block, d810-d839 education.
