THE FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE MEASURE - A COMPARATIVE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY

The majority of measurement scales used to evaluate outcome in rehabil itation are ordinal in nature and consequently statistically valid ass essments of change are difficult to make. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) can be weighted to possess interval properties, potentia lly allowing more accurate analysis of change. In this study the FIM w as compared to the Barthel Index (BI) to determine its validity, relia bility and ease of use in two groups of 25 patients undergoing neurore habilitation. The FIM was considered to be more valid than the BI, and equally reliable in the assessment of disability. When the two disabi lity scores were compared using subjective and objective assessment th e agreement between them was comparable, although neither was high.