Barthel Index
Pronunciation: BAR-thel IN-deks
Also written as: BI — Barthel Index
A standardized ordinal scale used to measure a patient's performance in ten basic activities of daily living, widely employed as an outcome measure in rehabilitation.
Full Definition
The Barthel Index (BI) is a validated functional assessment tool that rates a patient's independence across ten ADL domains—including feeding, bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, and ambulation—on a weighted scale totalling 100 points. Higher scores indicate greater independence. It is one of the most widely used outcome measures in stroke and general rehabilitation research and clinical practice. Editors should ensure the tool name is capitalised as a proper noun ('Barthel Index,' not 'barthel index') and that the version used (original, modified) is specified in research documents. The BI is distinct from the FIM and the two should not be used interchangeably in the text.
Usage
Usage note: Capitalise as a proper noun. Specify whether the original or modified version was used, as they differ in scoring increments.
In Context
- "The patient's Barthel Index score improved from 45 at admission to 80 at the time of discharge." — Stroke rehabilitation outcome report
- "Authors must clarify whether they used the original or modified Barthel Index, as scoring differs between versions." — Clinical research manuscript editing note