Interrater and Intrarater Reliability Test of Functional Independence Measure (FIM) in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Evaluation

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to test interrater & intrarater reliability of FIM. METHOD: We trained 7 members in our rehabilitation team with educational FIM manual and videotape published at State University of New York. After training workshop and several practice of FIM, videotaped FIM of the 10 patients with stroke were evaluated twice at 30 days interval by 7 trained testers. With each FIM data interrater & intrarater correlations were analyzed. RESULTS: Both interrater & intrarater reliability of FIM was significantly high. And the results of intrarater reliability were more reliable than those of interrater reliability. Also motor FIM components were more reliable than cognition FIM components. CONCLUSION: With proper training of the testers, FIM could be used as a standard assessment tool in a rehabilitation unit to quantify patients' disability.