Impact of Implementing New ICF-Based Practices on Staff Valence of Disability Practitioners: An Experience in Hong Kong

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) was endorsed by The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001. However, Hong Kong is at the beginning stage of implementing and testing ICF-based practices. This study examines any changes in the valences of disability practitioners in an organization under the newly introduced ICF-based practices. It was hypothesized that the involved staff members’ self-perceived valences in relation to the ICF would be enhanced. A pretest-posttest design was adopted. The 27-item Scale on Staff Valence under ICF-based practice (SSV-ICF) was used to measure the impact on staff valence of a pilot scheme in which ICF-based practice was implemented. Self-report questionnaires were completed by the involved staff members at the beginning of the pilot scheme and 12 months later. Analyses used paired samples t -tests and one-way repeated measures ANOVAs, performed by SPSS software, version 25. In total, 91 participants took part in the study. Results showed that participants achieved positive changes in all domains of valences, while participants’ level of involvement in the new ICF-based intervention had significant effects on their score differences in the “Competence” domain (r = 0.262, p < 0.05), “Intrapersonal” domain (r = 0.242, p < 0.05), and “Total Score” of SSV-ICF (r = 0.210, p < 0.05). The study demonstrated that disability practitioners who implemented ICF-based practices developed higher staff valences, which, in turn, benefited service users. Implementation of ICF-based practices also contributed to a more positive organizational culture.