Activities of daily living (Barthel Index) at discharge from the intensive care unit

In order to continue optimal and adequate rehabilitation care in the nursing ward, information about the functional status of patients at discharge from the ICU is needed [ 1 ]. The Barthel Index is a simple index of independence to score the ability of a patient to care for itself. It measures the patient's daily functioning, specifically the activities of daily living (ADL) and mobility [ 2 ]. The objectives of the present study were to assess the ADL of ICU patients at discharge to the ward, and to identify explanatory factors of functional status.