An Evaluation of the Extended Barthel Index with Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Extended Barthel Index with acute ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: This prospective 1- to 6-week poststroke follow-up study was carried out using 33 newly diagnosed acute ischemic stroke patients who were admitted to the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Department of Neurology. Measures used were Barthel Index (BI), Extended Barthel Index (EBI), Fugl-Meyer Motor Impairment Scale, 1-5 Self-Assessment scale, Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test. RESULTS: The EBI is a reliable scale in terms of internal consistency. The cognitive part is less reliable than the physical part of the EBI. It is a 3-dimensional scale as calculated by factor analysis (factor 1 with eigen value 8.2, factor 2 with eigen value 2.7 and factor 3 with eigen value 0.9). Criterion validity to the BI and the Fugl-Meyer Motor Impairment Scale was supported (P=0.1-0.001). External validity to the Self-Assessment scale was also supported (P<0.001). It is more sensitive to the changes in functional status that occur in the 1st 6 weeks poststroke than the original BI, although the ceiling effect was not really explained in this follow-up period. CONCLUSION: The EBI is a valid, reliable, 2- to 3-dimensional outcome measure of disability/activity for stroke patients. To some extent, it also reveals the level of patients' perception of their functional status.