Pelvic-floor dysfunction (PFD) affects a substantial proportion of individuals. A healthy pelvic floor is associated with normal placement of pelvic structures and normal muscle, bladder, and anus functioning. Weakness of or injury to any of the pelvic-floor structures increases the probability of urinary, bowel dysfunction, or both. Fecal incontinence (FI) and fecal constipation (FC) are 2 common subtypes of bowel dysfunction that affect men and women of all ages.
Many patients seek rehabilitation to reduce symptoms related to FI and FC and consequently improve functional status (FS). There is an increasing demand for patient- reported outcomes (PROs) to be applied in this patient population during routine clinical practice and research in order to assist in clinical care planning and outcomes assessment in patients with PFD seeking out- patient rehabilitation services.
The author via this study builds on a questionnaire where they developed, simulated and applied and validated body part-specific computerized adaptive testing (CAT) applications for patients seeking rehabilitation for a variety of impairments in outpatient rehabilitation clinics. The author aims by this study to evaluate psychometric properties of a new self-report Fecal Incontinence and Constipation Questionnaire (FICQ) in patients with PFD seeking outpatient rehabilitation services.