A critical review of scales of activities of daily living.

Occupational therapists routinely perform activities of daily living (ADL) assessments. Although the literature contains many ADL scales, few sources summarize and review the measurement properties of such scales. In this paper, standard criteria are used to review scales of basic self-care. Each scale is critically appraised regarding its purpose, clinical utility, construction, standardization, reliability, and validity. Recommendations are made regarding the ADL scales that are most suitable for describing, predicting, or evaluating ADL function. This review is intended to help therapists in selecting the most appropriate ADL measure to use in their clinical practice.