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Published on: September 30, 2020
[Barthel Index for evaluation of function: a Danish consensus on its use]
Thomas Maribo1, Jens M Lauritsen, Eva Waehrens
1Danske Fysioterapeuter, København. tmh@fysio.dk
Ugeskrift for Laeger
|September 1, 2006
Summary
The Barthel Index has multiple versions, causing confusion in functional evaluation. This paper clarifies proper usage and proposes standardized terms "Barthel-20" and "Barthel-100" for clarity in clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Clinical Assessment
- Functional Evaluation
Context:
- The Barthel Index is a standard tool for assessing daily living activities.
- Multiple, non-standardized versions of the Modified Barthel Index are in use.
- Lack of consensus on Barthel Index formulation leads to inconsistent functional scoring.
Purpose:
- To address the ambiguity arising from various Modified Barthel Index formulations.
- To recommend standardized terminology for widely accepted Barthel Index versions.
- To ensure accurate and comparable functional assessments across different settings.
Summary:
- The paper highlights the critical issue of non-standardized Barthel Index versions.
- It explains why a Barthel Index score lacks meaning without specifying the version used.
- The authors propose "Barthel-20" and "Barthel-100" for the Collin et al. and Shah et al. versions, respectively, indicating maximum scores.
Impact:
- Promotes consistent and accurate functional status reporting in healthcare.
- Enhances inter-rater reliability and comparability of Barthel Index scores.
- Aids clinicians and researchers in making informed decisions based on standardized functional data.
