Experience of People With Disabilities in Haiti Before and After the 2010 Earthquake: WHODAS 2.0 Documentation.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the functioning and participation of people with disabilities seen in Haiti Team Canada Healing Hands clinics before and after the 2010 earthquake.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey.

SETTING: Rehabilitation clinics.

PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of individuals attending Team Canada Healing Hands clinics (N=194): individuals who completed the survey before the 2010 earthquake (n=72) and individuals who completed the survey after the 2010 earthquake (n=122).

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0).

RESULTS: Overall WHODAS 2.0 scores before and after the 2010 earthquake were in the top 10th percentile of population normative data, where higher scores reflect greater disability. A median increase (6.6 points) in disability was reported after the earthquake (Mann-Whitney U, P=.055). There was a significant increase (Mann-Whitney U, P<.001) in WHODAS 2.0 scores related to mobility (18.8 points), life activities (30 points), and participation (16.7 points) domains after the earthquake.

CONCLUSIONS: Persons in Haiti with a disability attending Team Canada Healing Hands clinics reported a low level of functioning. The increase in WHODAS 2.0 scores related to mobility, life activities, and participation domains suggests that the 2010 earthquake had a negative impact on functioning of this population and provides additional information on the responsiveness of the WHODAS 2.0 in limited resource settings. Future work can include using WHODAS 2.0 to monitor the impact of rehabilitation service and advocacy initiatives in Haiti and similar locations.