[How reliable is the Functional Independence Measure (FMI)?].

The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is an internationally well-known instrument to assess patient autonomy in Activities of Daily Life. In this article the reliability of the instrument will be discussed by the analysis of data gathered on a rehabilitation ward in a Berlin hospital. The sample consists of 154 patients. Each patient was observed by two nurses. In the first phase of the project only one of these two nurses knew the patient well. In the second phase both nurses knew the patient. As expected, the interrater reliability during the second phase was higher than during the first phase of the research. Furthermore high correlations between the items could be computed. The internal consistence of the scale showed values similar to those known from literature. The data proved a high reliability of the instrument.