Measuring disability--do self-ratings and service provider ratings compare?

The assessment of disability in open care is often made by questionnaire-based ratings. In using such ratings, researchers should be aware of the similarities and differences between these criteria and those used by the health care personnel. This report shows that the level of agreement between the questionnaire-based and the provider ratings was not very high for housework. In using dichotomous scales, the overall percentage of cases in which there was matching was 77% for cooking activity and 64% for cleaning activity. The levels of agreement between the questionnaire-based and the provider ratings were high for the more basic self-care activities. In using quadritomous scales, the percentage of cases in which there was total agreement between these two measurements were 94-97% for the activities of dressing, eating and daily washing. The more complex self-care activities, i.e. bathing and sauna, showed a lower proportion of complete agreement than the three basic activities. The level of total agreement for bathing and sauna was 84%.