The functional independence measure in spinal cord injured patients: comparison of questioning with observational rating.

Functional independence measure (FIM) is becoming widely used for all aspects of disabling diseases including spinal cord injury (SCI). It is recommended that it is rated by trained clinicians familiar with the patients. We aimed to compare the ratings of those patients who were questioned with those who were observed in a simulated environment. Fifty patients with SCI were included in the study. They were all FIM rated by the same clinician, first by questioning and then by observation. Although observational rating took much more time than questioning there was a very strong correlation between these two different rating methods. We can conclude that questioning SCI patients could be used as a valuable and quick way to assess the functional level of such patients. Although this does not exclude observational scoring that was generally higher and more motivational for the patient.