Atomized Content
Purpose
Assesses patient attainment of rehabilitation outcomes through a self-rating of perceived independence at mobilization and prior to discharge, used specifically for patients with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).
Acronym
NAC
Area of Assessment
Activities of Daily Living
General Health
Range of Motion
Social Relationships
Social Support
Incontinence
Assessment Type
Patient Reported Outcomes
Administration Mode
Paper & Pencil
Cost
Free
- The Needs Assessment Checklist consists of nine rehabilitation domains, each with specific indicators:
1) ADL (29 indicators)
2) Skin Management (14 indicators)
3) Bladder Management (10 indicators)
4) Bowel Management (7 indicators)
5) Mobility (17 indicators)
6) Wheelchair and Equipment (33 indicators)
7) Community Preparation (24 indicators)
8) Discharge Coordination (32 indicators)
9) Psychological Issues (19 indicators)
- Scores are derived by summing sub-scale items; a “percentage achieved” is also calculated for each of the 9 sub-scale's ranging from 0-100% with higher scores indicating greater independence.
- This score is used in Goal Planning Meetings to establish rehabilitation goals that include explicit behavioral targets.
Required Training
Reading an Article/Manual
Instrument Reviewers
Initially reviewed by the Rehabilitation Measures Team; Updated by Jennifer Kahn, PT, DPT, NCS, Candy Tefertiller, PT, DPT ATP, NCS, and SCI EDGE task force of the Neurology Section of the APTA in 2012
ICF Domain
Body Function
Activity
Participation
Measurement Domain
Activities of Daily Living
Motor
Sensory
Professional Association Recommendation
Recommendations for use of the instrument from the Neurology Section of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Multiple Sclerosis Taskforce (MSEDGE), Parkinson’s Taskforce (PD EDGE), Spinal Cord Injury Taskforce (PD EDGE), Stroke Taskforce (StrokEDGE), Traumatic Brain Injury Taskforce (TBI EDGE), and Vestibular Taskforce (Vestibular EDGE) are listed below. These recommendations were developed by a panel of research and clinical experts using a modified Delphi process.
For detailed information about how recommendations were made, please visit:
Abbreviations: | |
HR | Highly Recommend |
R | Recommend |
LS / UR | Reasonable to use, but limited study in target group / Unable to Recommend |
NR | Not Recommended |
Recommendations for use based on acuity level of the patient:
| Acute (CVA < 2 months post) (SCI < 1 month post) (Vestibular < 6 weeks post) | Subacute (CVA 2 to 6 months) (SCI 3 to 6 months) | Chronic (> 6 months) |
SCI EDGE | R | R | LS |
Recommendations based on SCI AIS Classification:
Recommendations for entry-level physical therapy education and use in research:
| Students should learn to administer this tool? (Y/N) | Students should be exposed to tool? (Y/N) | Appropriate for use in intervention research studies? (Y/N) | Is additional research warranted for this tool (Y/N) |
SCI EDGE | No | No | No | Not reported |
Considerations
- The Child Needs Assessment Checklist (ChNAC) is also available (see Webster & Kennedy, 2007; for more information)
- NAC is a measure of an individual’s perceptions of their own independence and may be subjective and influenced by other factors.
- NAC assesses both verbal and physical independence so individuals have potential to reach 100% on all subscales.
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