The Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living is a quick and
reliable assessment of a person's mobility and ability to perform
daily self-care tasks. It shows if disability is present and
estimates its extent, and determines when a patient begins to need
help.Originally developed for use during inpatient rehabilitation,
this tool is used extensively in the clinical setting. The Barthel
Index is simple to use, as information can be obtained either from
the patient's self-report or from other informed parties, such as
the patient's relatives. It can be administered periodically to
assess a patient's improvement over time.
Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living
(ADL)
The Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living is
the most appropriate instrument to assess functional status as a
measurement of the clients ability to perform activities of daily
living independently. Clinicians typically use the tool to detect
problems in performing activities of daily living and to plan care
accordingly. The Index ranks adequacy of performance in the six
functions of bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring,
continence, and feeding. Clients are scored yes/no for independence
in each of the six functions. A score of 6 indicates full function,
4 indicates moderate impairment, and 2 or less indicates severe
functional impairment.
