Creating a common metric based on existing activities of daily living tools to enable standardized reporting of functioning outcomes achieved during rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: Many different assessment tools are used to assess functioning in rehabilitation; this limits the comparability and aggregation of respective data. The aim of this study was to outline the development of an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)-based interval-scaled common metric for 2 assessment tools assessing activities of daily living: the Functional Independence Measure (FIMTM) and the Extended Barthel Index (EBI), used in Swiss national rehabilitation quality reports.

METHODS: The conceptual equivalence of the 2 tools was assessed through their linking to the ICF. The Rasch measurement model was then applied to create a common metric including FIMTM and EBI.

SUBJECTS: Secondary analysis of a sample of 265 neurological patients from 5 Swiss clinics.

RESULTS: ICF linking found conceptual coherency of the tools. An interval-scaled common metric, including FIMTM and EBI, could be established, given fit to the Rasch model in the related analyses.

CONCLUSION: The ICF-based and interval-scaled common metric enables comparison of patients and clinics functioning outcomes when different activities of daily living tools are used. The common metric can be included in a Standardized Assessment and Reporting System for functioning information in order to enable data aggregation and comparability.