Standardized training tools for the UPDRS activities of daily living scale: newly available teaching program

The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) is the most widely used scale for evaluation of clinical impairment in PD. Whereas the motor section has been studied intensively for clinimetric properties and has an associated training tape, the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) section has been studied less rigorously. In preparation for a multicenter study that planned to use the UPDRS ADL score as an outcome, the authors reviewed the UPDRS ADL scale and designed a teaching program to provide a uniform technique for data acquisition without changing any wording of the primary scale. The teaching program is composed of four components: overall guidelines, clarifying points, recommended strategies, and a teaching videotape. The videotape shows examples of interviewers assessing each ADL item with patients of different disability levels and provides a complete ADL assessment of a single patient. Systematic training and utilization of this teaching program offer the potential for more uniformity in results of ADL assessments conducted in clinical practice and multicenter, international studies of PD. The written materials and videotape belong to the Movement Disorder Society and are available by contacting the MDS central office.