Sensitivity of Shah, Vanclay and Cooper's modified Barthel Index

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Shah, Vanclay and Cooper's modification of the Barthel Index improved its sensitivity to change. DESIGN: Correlational study. SETTING: School of Occupational Therapy at Auckland Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. SUBJECTS: One hundred subjects requiring rehabilitation following a stroke. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in function which was measured using Shah, Vanclay and Cooper's (1989) modified Barthel Index and walking speed over 10 metres. RESULTS: Five statistical analyses were undertaken, none of which demonstrated clear superiority of one measure over the other. CONCLUSIONS: The study did not indicate the modified Barthel Index to be more sensitive to change than the 20-point Barthel Index for this population. The statistical analysis strategies utilized are recommended for similar studies.