The Edmonton Functional Assessment Tool: Further Development and Validation for Use in Palliative Care

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the validity of the revised version of the Edmonton Functional Assessment Tool (EFAT-2), which was designed to measure physical impairment and functional performance of patients in palliative care. The EFAT-2 was administered to 275 patients on admission to an acute palliative care unit. Principal-components factor analysis was performed on the 10 items of the scale, and Cronbach's alpha was calculated to measure internal consistency. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to compare the admission EFAT-2 scores of three groups of patients: (a) deceased on the unit, (b) transferred to a continuing care palliative unit, (c) discharged home. Two main factors were revealed: physical and non-physical (cognitive/affective). Pain was identified as an independent item and did not correlate with any other item. Cronbach's alpha was 0.86. The ANOVA was significant (F [2,267] 29.063, p<0.001). The results suggest that the EFAT-2 measures one construct. They also suggest that the EFAT-2 is able to discriminate between palliative care patients based on discharge location.