ABSTRACT

Objective : To develop a Korean Activities of Daily Living (ADL) evaluation tool for out-patients with stroke applying the Rasch model based on the item response theory.Method : The total subjects for this study were 169 out-patients with stroke at 18 different rehabilitation facilities in Korea. A questionnaire containing 23 ADL evaluation items selected in advance with the Q-sorting method from a pilot study was distributed to the subjects by mail or visit. Rasch analysis was then applied by means of the Winsteps program to determine the validity and reliability of the Korean ADL evaluation tool for out-patient with stroke.Results : Seven items were found to be misfits and the orders of item difficulty of the remaining 16 items were arranged. ADL abilities of out-patients with stroke are indicated by - 6.32 ~ 6.23 logit, and the transformation formula is 'score = (logit score + 6.32) / (6.32 + 6.23) × 100.' In the order of difficulty of evaluation items, the most difficult item was 'going up and down stairs' in functional mobility domain. And the easiest item was 'scooping food to mouth' in feeding domain.Conclusion : The Korean ADL evaluation tool for out-patients with stroke has been proven to be reliable and valid. Therefore, it is expected to be used as an effective tool for treatment planning and intervention for persons with stroke.