A functional status assessment instrument: validation in an elderly population.

This study examines the validity of a system of measuring functional status, an important determinant of quality of life. With a group of elderly people who suffer from arthritis, we found that scores in the dimensions of dependence, difficulty, and pain on performance of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) are positively correlated with client reports of joint conditions, ability to deal with their arthritis and attendant problems, and numbers of "good days." Instrument scores do not correlate with professional assessments of clients' joint condition or of their ability to deal with arthritis, although the two professional assessments correlate with each other. Thus it appears that client and professional definitions of joint condition differ; only the clients' definition relates to our measure of functional status.