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Barthel Index (10-item, 0–100)

Also called Barthel ADL index, BI, activities of daily living score

Independence in 10 basic activities of daily living (0 totally dependent – 100 independent).

Feeding
Bathing
Grooming (face, hair, teeth, shaving)
Dressing
Bowels
Bladder
Toilet use
Transfers (bed to chair and back)
Mobility on level surfaces
Stairs

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Formula and scoring

Sum of 10 items in 5-point steps: feeding, dressing, bowels, bladder, toilet use, stairs (0/5/10); bathing, grooming (0/5); transfers, mobility (0/5/10/15). Range 0–100.

Exam and ward pearls

  • Transfers and mobility carry the most weight (15 each).
  • The 0–20 version (Collin & Wade) is the same index divided by 5 — check which one a paper uses.

When not to rely on it

  • Strong floor and ceiling effects; insensitive to small changes and to instrumental ADLs (use Lawton IADL for those).

Source

  1. Mahoney FI, Barthel DW. Functional evaluation: the Barthel Index. Md State Med J. 1965;14:61-5. PMID 14258950
  2. Shah S, Vanclay F, Cooper B. Improving the sensitivity of the Barthel Index for stroke rehabilitation. J Clin Epidemiol. 1989;42(8):703-9. doi:10.1016/0895-4356(89)90065-6 · PMID 2760661
  3. Evaluating the effect of Cerebrolysin as an adjuvant to standard therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Medicina (Kaunas). 2025;61(9):1531 (item scoring and Shah dependency bands as applied). doi:10.3390/medicina61091531 · PMID 41010922

Formula and cut-offs checked against these sources on 8 Nov 2026. Educational tool for clinicians; it does not replace clinical judgement.

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