Profile Of Function and Impairment Level Experience with Parkinson's Disease (PROFILE PD)

Original Editor - Arnold Fredrick D'Souza Top Contributors - Arnold Fredrick D'Souza

Introduction[edit | edit source]

The Profile Of Function and Impairment Level Experience with Parkinson's Disease (PROFILE PD) used today is based on the Duke University Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.[1] PROFILE PD was developed as an alternative to the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). The UPDRS is time-consuming and requires extensive training to administer proficiently, limiting its clinical utility for physiotherapists. PROFILE PD was developed with the goal to overcome these shortcomings.[2]

Intended Population[edit | edit source]

Unlike the UPDRS, which is more suited for later stages of PD, PROFILE PD can be used for all stages.[2]

Scoring and Interpretation[edit | edit source]

PROFILE PD is a 24-item scale, each item is scored between 0 (no problem) to 4 (severe or marked difficulty). This leads to a maximum score of 96 which suggests extreme dysfunction and a lowest score of 0 referring to no dysfunction.[2]

The 24 items are divided into three sections[2]:

A. Body systems[edit | edit source]

1. Tremor with activity

2. Resting tremor

3. Rigidity

4. Posture

5. Postural stability

6. Dyskinesia

7. Dystonia

8. Clinical fluctuations

9. Falling

10. Freezing with gait/ Start hesitation

11. Body bradykinesia

B. Activities[edit | edit source]

12. Speech

13. Dressing

14. Hygiene

15. Mealtime activities

16. Simple transfers

17. Bed mobility

18. Chair rise

19. Gait

20. Fine motor movement performance

21. Gross motor performance

C. Cognition/Affect[edit | edit source]

22. Depression

23. Memory

24. Involvement

Psychometric properties[edit | edit source]

Validity[edit | edit source]

Construct validity was established with UPDRS (r = 0.86), Schwab & England Activities of Daily Living Scale (r = -0.83), and Continuous Scale Physical Functional Performance test (r = -0.62).[2]

Reliability[edit | edit source]

Inter-rater reliability of PROFILE PD is high (ICC = 0.97).[2]

Translations[edit | edit source]

A Brazilian version of PROFILE PD has been developed.[3]

Resources[edit | edit source]

PROFILE PD is included in the Appendix of this paper.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Cutson TM, Sloane R, Schenkman M. Development of a clinical rating scale for persons with Parkinson's disease. J Am Geriatric Soc 1999;47:763–64.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Schenkman M, McFann K, Barón AE. PROFILE PD: profile of function and impairment level experience with Parkinson disease--clinimetric properties of a rating scale for physical therapist practice. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2010 Dec;34(4):182-92.
  3. Swarowsky A, Fontana SR, Santos MP, Silva BA, Spagnuolo G, Ovando AC, et al. Cross cultural adaptations and psychometric domains of Brazilian version of PROFILE PD for Parkinson’s disease. Disability and rehabilitation. 2017 Aug 14;39(17):1759-70.