Vitacca et al reported the Barthel Index - dyspnea (BI-d) to describe disability associated with dyspnea. It describes the impact of dyspnea on the performance of activities of daily living (ADL). The authors are from multiple institutions in Italy.
Parameters:
(1) grooming
(2) bathing
(3) feeding
(4) toilet use
(5) stairs
(6) dressing
(7) bowels
(8) bladder
(9) mobility
(10) wheelchair
(11) transfers from bed to chair and back
where:
• It is unclear how use of toilet differs from bowels and bladder.
Items 10 and 11 are not scored if the patient is able to walk.
Level of Dyspnea
Level of Dyspnea during Activity of Daily Living (ADL)
none
no sign of dyspnea
slight
does not prevent or slow execution of the ADL
moderate
can slow down execution of the ADL
severe
can greatly slow down execution of the ADL
extreme
ADL may be impossible to perform
Scoring
Items 1, 2 and 10
Items 3 to 8
Items 9 and 11
none
0
0
0
slight
1
2
3
moderate
3
5
8
severe
4
8
12
extreme
5
10
15
total score =
= SUM(points for all of the items)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 105 (reference says 100)
• The higher the score the worse the dyspnea.
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