A method for evaluating the level of independence during the rehabilitation of the disabled.

A new method of assessing disability has been devised, which is partly based on the Northwick Park Activities of Daily Living Index and partly on a grading system previously used at our centre. The assessment records whether the patient is dependent or independent in 20 items of activity. The items consist of six self-care tasks, six stages of mobility, three employment grades and five domestic activities. The assessment takes only a few minutes to record and can be completed at weekly intervals during staff conferences and routine clinical examinations. Examples of the progress of an amputee and a hemiplegic patient at the rehabilitation centre are shown by charts, which record the state of dependence and independence and the type of aid in use, and by profiles which show the number of dependent and independent items and the extent to which activities are supervised and aids are used during each week of treatment.