Simple Indicator to Judge the Independence Level Required in Dressing in a Hospital Ward for Patients with Stroke

This study aimed to create a simple and objective indicator for use by inexperienced nurses and family members of patients to judge the assistance level required for dressing in a hospital, while encouraging independence in activities of daily living among inpatients with stroke using the Berg balance scale.

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 108 hospitalized patients with first stroke in a rehabilitation hospital ward. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to identify the Berg balance scale item with the highest discriminatory power against independence level in dressing.

For comparisons between the independence and supervision or less level groups, the area under the curve of the sum score of "Retrieving object from floor" and "Standing with one foot in front" was .954, and the calculated cutoff value was 6/5 (sensitivity, 86%; specificity, 94%). For comparisons between the supervision or higher level and dependence groups, the area under the curve of the score of "Retrieving object from floor" was .930, and the calculated cutoff value was 2/1 (sensitivity, 93%; specificity, 81%).

Our results suggested that Berg balance scale items are individually and in combination simple and useful indicators to judge independence level in dressing in a hospital ward for patients with stroke. These indices appear to be appropriate for individuals who are unfamiliar with Berg balance scale, such as inexperienced nurses and family members of patients.