Functional Status Outcome Measures in Home Health Care Patients with Heart Failure

Abstract

Elderly, chronically ill patients' ability to stay at home is dependent on their capacity to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). The Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) defines ADLs and can be evaluated in various ways. The purpose of this research was to evaluate these approaches and make recommendations for use in research. Several different approaches to the evaluation of functional status were done using ADLs (ambulation, bathing, dressing lower body, dressing upper body, feeding, grooming, toileting, and transferring) scored individually and as indices. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages depending on the research question being asked. The ADL change index score provided the most comprehensive analysis of functional status change although the categorical scores are useful for simple approaches.

Keywords:

• activities of daily living (ADLs)
• functional status
• home health care

Notes

Support for this study was provided through the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, R01 HL085725, to Elizabeth Madigan, PI.