A comparison of the Barthel Index with functional independence measures for assessing ability in the activities of daily living after a stroke / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To observe the relationship between extended Barthel index (EBI) values and functional independence measures (FIMs) in quantifying the ability in the activities of daily living (ADL) of stroke survivors.Methods:Eighty-six stroke survivors′ ADL ability was assessed using the FIM and the EBI and the results were compared.Results:The inter-rater reliability (ICC) of the EBI was 0.866 and the Spearman correlation coefficient relating the EBI and FIM results was 0.972. The 4 ADL functional levels of the EBI were strongly correlated with the 8 ADL functional levels of the FIMs ( χ2=187, P≤0.001). The complete dependence and extreme dependence ratings of the FIMs (18-35 points) corresponded to the EBI′s " completely needed" . Severe and moderate dependence (36-71 points) corresponded to a lot of help needed. Mild dependence, conditional independence or very mild dependence (72-107 points) corresponded to some help needed. Basic independence and complete independence (108-126 points) corresponded to self-care. Conclusions:The EBI has high reliability and good validity, and its 4 ADL functional levels correspond well with the FIMs′ 8 ADL function levels. The EBI has good clinical applicability.