Functional assessment scales: a study of persons after stroke.

The purpose of this study was to investigate disability in persons after stroke by using combinations of functional assessment item, subscale, domain, and full-scale scores, to predict (1) the burden of care measured in minutes of assistance provided per day by another person in the home, and (2) the subject's level of satisfaction with life in general. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) each contributed to prediction of the subject's physical care needs. A change in total FIM score of one point (range, 61 to 126) was equivalent to an average of 2.19 minutes of help from another person per day and a change in one point in the SIP physical dysfunction (SIPPHYS) score (range, 4.0% to 57.4%) was equivalent to an average of 3.32 minutes. Along with the Brief Symptom Inventory and a measure of visual ability, the FIM contributed to predicting the patient's general satisfaction as well. The burden of care and subjective satisfaction with life in general are important standards by which functional assessment instruments may be compared to reflect, in pragmatic terms, the impact of disability on the lives of individuals and on the human and economic resources of the community.