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BIFCA

Brief International Functional Capacity Assessment

Thomas L. Patterson, PhD, and Dawn I. Velligan, PhD

Purpose:
Assesses functional capacity in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders
Format:
Paper and pencil
Age range:
18 years to 59 years
Time:
15–20 minutes
Qualification level:
B
B
A degree from an accredited 4-year college or university in psychology, counseling, speech-language pathology, or a closely related field plus satisfactory completion of coursework in test interpretation, psychometrics and measurement theory, educational statistics, or a closely related area; or license or certification from an agency that requires appropriate training and experience in the ethical and competent use of psychological tests. Close

The BIFCA is a performance-based measure of functional capacity that assesses an individual's ability to perform key tasks of daily living. It is designed to be used as a coprimary outcome measure in clinical trials of cognition-enhancing drugs for adults with schizophrenia and related disorders.

Features and benefits

  • Development was sponsored by a government-industry-academic collaboration (MATRICS-CT).
  • Has a demonstrated relationship to cognitive deficits and functional outcomes.
  • Emerged from multiple studies investigating psychometric properties and cross-cultural adaptability of coprimary measures.
  • Subtests were selected for their interpretability across cultures.
  • Features convenient administration and is easy to include with other outcome measures.

Test structure

Modules assess functional capacity in three areas of basic living skills: Comprehension and planning, household management, and work and productivity. Through standardized role-play activities, individuals demonstrate their capacity to plan, to identify problems and generate solutions, and to persist in an activity.

Technical information

Reliability and validity data are drawn from a sample of schizophrenia patients that was used to examine functional outcome.

Available in other languages

  • The BIFCA kit, which includes an English-language manual and language-specific Administrator's Forms, Laminated Respondent's Sheet, and Shopping List Tablet, has been translated into Spanish for Spain and Spanish for Central and South America. 
  • The BIFCA has also been translated into German, Russian, Chinese (Simplified), Hindi, and Japanese. Call 1.800.331.8378 for more information.