Task independence, safety, and adequacy among nondisabled and osteoarthritis - Disabled older women

Objective. To examine the constructs of task independence, safety, and adeq uacy. Method. Fifty-seven nondisabled (ND) and 56 osteoarthritis-disabled ( OAK) women were observed performing daily tasks. Results. Intercorrelations among the constructs of independence and adequac y were uniformly high, while the relationship of safety to these constructs was moderate and more variable, although stronger in the OAK group. Task p erformance of the OAK group was consistently less adequate and independent than that of the ND group; however, the groups were generally equivalent in safety. For individual tasks, adequacy best differentiated between the gro ups. In both groups, those who performed independently also performed safel y, but fewer independent OAK participants also performed totally adequately . Conclusion. The majority of older women who perform tasks independently als o perform them safely and adequately; for a clinically significant minority , independence is not always synonymous with safe and adequate performance. Patients may be placed at risk if independence is the only construct used to determine disability.