Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • ARTICLES
    • Current Issue
    • Ahead of Print
    • Archives
    • Abstracts In Press
    • Special Issue Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • INFO FOR
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Call For Papers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • SUBMIT
    • Manuscript
    • Peer Review
  • ABOUT
    • The JABFM
    • The Editing Fellowship
    • Editorial Board
    • Indexing
    • Editors' Blog
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • Other Publications
    • abfm

User menu

Search

  • Advanced search
American Board of Family Medicine
  • Other Publications
    • abfm
American Board of Family Medicine

American Board of Family Medicine

Advanced Search

  • HOME
  • ARTICLES
    • Current Issue
    • Ahead of Print
    • Archives
    • Abstracts In Press
    • Special Issue Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • INFO FOR
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Call For Papers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • SUBMIT
    • Manuscript
    • Peer Review
  • ABOUT
    • The JABFM
    • The Editing Fellowship
    • Editorial Board
    • Indexing
    • Editors' Blog
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • JABFM on Bluesky
  • JABFM On Facebook
  • JABFM On Twitter
  • JABFM On YouTube
Research ArticleCorrespondence

Re: Developing and Validating a Novel Tool to Enhance Functional Status Assessment: The Tennessee Functional Status Questionnaire (TFSQ)

Angel Ogbeide
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine November 2023, 36 (6) 1094; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2023.230288R0
Angel Ogbeide
Dentist/Adjunct FacultyFrom the Cherokee Nation/University of OklahomaHealth Sciences College of Dentistry
DDS
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

To the Editor: Thank you to the authors of “Developing and Validating a Novel Tool to Enhance Functional Status Assessment: The Tennessee Functional Status Questionnaire (TFSQ)” by Vanterpool et al.1 I commend the authors for developing this questionnaire and the primary care community at large, and this journal specifically, for providing a platform for this information to be dispensed so that it can be utilized by surgical specialties as well. Primary care plays a critical role in the management of surgical patients in preoperative and postoperative phases of care. Collaboration among specialties is a hallmark of positive patient outcomes.2 Pre-Operative surgical assessment is used for procedure treatment planning and postoperative management whether in inpatient or ambulatory settings. More specifically, previous surgical complications along with comorbidities are factors that are always considered when the benefits versus risk assessment is made.

While the Tennessee Functional Status Questionnaire (TFSQ) provides the potential for future use in preoperative surgical assessment along with current modalities, 1 aspect should be clarified further. The article designated that the acute care portion of the questionnaire had asked about recent ED visits, hospitalizations, or surgeries. The questionnaire asked, “In the past 60 days, have you gone to the emergency department (ER)/hospital or had a surgery?” While this is accurately categorized, the distinction of these events is left to assumption by the clinician. There are many factors that account for postoperative surgical complications.2 All these factors can lead to emergency department visits and inpatient stays for management of these complications.

In future studies involving the TFSQ, it may be helpful to provide more distinction in the questions asked to patients regarding this aspect. For example, a patient reporting to the ED coincidentally because of a toothache status post cholecystectomy is vastly different from a patient reporting to the ED because of wound dehiscence status post cholecystectomy. Because of no distinction, the above scenarios would be classified together. This would lead to the same metabolic equivalents (METs) used in calculating functional status. They would be considered equal in both scenarios even though that would typically not be the case. From a surgeon’s perspective, this would skew the reliability as an assessment tool for surgical outcomes risk which is essentially where the TFSQ would be of great use in surgical specialties. This questionnaire could provide an efficient chairside assessment to help surgical clinicians in assessing surgical patients in elective or emergent situations. There are many future opportunities and collaborations for this assessment tool to which this reader eagerly looks forward.

Notes

  • To see this article online, please go to: http://jabfm.org/content/36/6/1098.full

References

  1. 1.↵
    1. Vanterpool SG,
    2. Heidel RE,
    3. Snyder K,
    4. et al
    . Developing and validating a novel tool to enhance functional status assessment: the Tennessee Functional Status Questionnaire (TFSQ). J Am Board Fam Med 2023;36:4–14.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  2. 2.↵
    1. Dharap SB,
    2. Barbaniya P,
    3. Navgale S
    . Incidence and risk factors of postoperative complications in general surgery patients. Cureus 2022;14:e30975. Published 2022 Nov 1.
    OpenUrl
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of the American Board of Family     Medicine: 36 (6)
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
Vol. 36, Issue 6
November-December 2023
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Cover (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Board of Family Medicine.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Re: Developing and Validating a Novel Tool to Enhance Functional Status Assessment: The Tennessee Functional Status Questionnaire (TFSQ)
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Board of Family Medicine
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Board of Family Medicine web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
14 + 6 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Re: Developing and Validating a Novel Tool to Enhance Functional Status Assessment: The Tennessee Functional Status Questionnaire (TFSQ)
Angel Ogbeide
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Nov 2023, 36 (6) 1094; DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2023.230288R0

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Re: Developing and Validating a Novel Tool to Enhance Functional Status Assessment: The Tennessee Functional Status Questionnaire (TFSQ)
Angel Ogbeide
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Nov 2023, 36 (6) 1094; DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2023.230288R0
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Notes
    • References
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Hepatitis C Treatment Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Primary Care Providers—Los Angeles County, 2023
  • Re: Factors Influencing Patient Confidence in Screening Mammography
  • Re: Physician and Advanced Practice Clinician Burnout in Rural and Urban Settings
Show more Correspondence

Similar Articles

Navigate

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues

Authors & Reviewers

  • Info For Authors
  • Info For Reviewers
  • Submit A Manuscript/Review

Other Services

  • Get Email Alerts
  • Classifieds
  • Reprints and Permissions

Other Resources

  • Forms
  • Contact Us
  • ABFM News

© 2025 American Board of Family Medicine

Powered by HighWire