Table 1: Mobility & Functional Assessment Tools

Tool
Berg
Balance
Scale

Administration

Description

Strengths

Limitations

Access /
Sources

Physiotherapist

14-item scale
designed to
assess balance
and risk of
falling of older
people in the
community

Easy measure administered in 15-20

minutes

Not practical in acute (needs

equipment)

Access tool here:

Good community predictor of falls

20 minutes to administer,
not practical in acute

Found to have high sensitivity for

predicting falls
Ability to identify risk for falling and
used to identify change in risk
following rehabilitation
High inter-rater and intra-rater
reliability
Age-related normative values
established
Tested across community, acute,
post-acute, residential care settings

de Morton
Mobility
Index
(DEMMI)
#

Physiotherapist

15 hierarchical
mobility
challenges

Simple, quick and easy to score and

administer by clinician observation
No special/expensive equipment
required
Can be administered at the patients
bedside or in a community setting.
Developed based on the Rasch
model and therefore provides

Limited to balance
Limited to specific patients,
not generic

http://www.fallssa.co
m.au/index.php
http://www.fallssa.co
m.au/cms/documents
/hp/Berg_Balance_Sc
ale.pdf

Does not include measure of

gait
Despite high intra-class
correlation coefficient,
absolute reliability showed
change of 8 points is
required to show change in
function among older people
who are dependent in
activities of daily living
(ADLs)
New tool (published in
August 2008) limited
interdisciplinary awareness
A one-dimensional measure
of mobility so other tools
required to measure other
domains.

For details on how to

access this tool refer
to the resource
review.

For further detail

contact Dr. Natalie de
Morton

interval level data

natalie.demorton@me
d.monash.edu.au

Overcomes limitations of existing

instruments such as ceiling and floor
effects
Extensive clinimetric evaluation
Rasch, reliability, validity,
responsiveness to change and
minimally clinically important
difference (MCID)

Modified
Elderly
Mobility
Scale
(MEMS)

Physiotherapist

Timed Up &
Go Test
#

Physiotherapy;
Once mobility
level
established, if at
safe level can be
administered by

7 item test of
motor function
of elderly
patients with a
spread of
functional
levels

Assessment of
dynamic
balance and
mobility skills
for older
people

Quick and easy to administer

Valid and reliable
Experience of physiotherapist
scoring patient does not greatly
impact reliability of scoring
Concurrent validity when compared
to FIM (Functional Independence
Measure)

Functional Reach component

only practical in clinical
setting
Needs controlled
environment and stairs
No self-care component

Rural/regional areas may

find difficult as do not have
allied health staff seven days

Quick and easy to administer in less

than 3 mins

Need a chair at the right

height

Can be used across different settings

Difficult for patients with

dementia, Parkinsons, visual
impairments

Reliability and validity with

http://www.physiobob
.com/forum/generalphysiotherapydiscussion/189functionalassessment-tools.html

Needs to be administered
soon after admission

High inter-rater and test-retest

reliability for each item and total
score, regardless of experience of
rater

Suits bedside

Access tool here:

Still reliable but less so for

patients of a low functional
level, but this may be due to
video scoring method during
trial

Only provides information on

Access tool here:

http://www.saskatoon
healthregion.ca/pdf/0
3_Timed%20Up%20a
nd%20Go%20procedu
re.pdf

a trained nurse
or allied health
assistant

community dwelling older adults

a few aspects of balance

Normative values established in

Steffen et al. (2002) and Hill et al.
(1999)

Scores do not have depth of

information to discriminate
between the various sources
of impairment

High inter and intra-rater reliability

and sensitivity and specificity

Tinetti
Assessment
Tool:
Balance

Physiotherapist

Test measuring
gait and
balance

Unable to administer if
person unable to
transfer/mobilise without
assistance

Simple and easily administered in

10-15 minutes

Not often used in clinical

setting

Shorter than some other balance

tests

No gait or self care

components

Good inter-rater reliability

Requires therapist
interpretation

Access tool here:

http://www.bhps.org.
uk/falls/documents/Ti
nettiBalanceAssessme
nt.pdf

Not sensitive enough to pick

up some function changes
Lengthy
Validity not reported

Barthel
Index
#

Requires team
of
Physiotherapy,
Occupational
Therapist &
Nursing

15 ADL items;
Assesses selfcare and
mobility
activities of
daily living

Widely used in geriatric settings

Administered in 5-10 minutes
Easy and quick to learn
Multidisciplinary
Good snap shot of inpatient function
and covers personal care, mobility
and self-care
Reliability, validity and overall utility
are rated as good to excellent
Compares favourably with other ADL

Community rehabilitation /
sub-acute setting focused
Does not take cognition into
account
May give broad brush
picture, as its ability to
reflect change in function
limited by a floor effect and
lack of sensitivity to change

Access tool here:

www.strokecenter.org
/trials/scales/barthel.
pdf

scales

Functional
Independen
ce Measure
(FIM) and
Functional
Assessment
Measure
(FAM)

Requires trained
clinician to
administer;
Team approach

Performance
Orientated
Mobility
Assessment
#

Physiotherapist

18 items
Measures
functional
status of
people in
rehabilitation

Widely used in general rehabilitation

settings

May not be translatable to

acute

Administration by an trained
assessor of any discipline

5 hour training required for

administration with annual
refresher training (costly)

Includes cognition, language,

continence

Cost required for

use/accreditation

Can be used as a benchmark

18 item
mobility
assessment,
usually in the
evaluation of
fall risk or falls.

Quantitative assessment of balance

and gait

Some items appear

subjective

Can be performed at the bedside in

about 5 minutes

Not well known

More reliable in detecting functional

change in inpatient setting

http://www.birf.info/h
ome/bitools/tests/fam.html

Users need to be certified

Reflects what
person usually
does rather
than what
he/she can do

Acceptable reliability for assessing

ADLs for adults across a wide variety
of settings, raters and patients

Access tool here:

Limited focus on physical

health (skin integrity,
nutrition, medical conditions,
pain etc)

Mobility Assessment only, no

functional assessment
components
Lengthy

Access tool here:

http://www.hospitalm
edicine.org/geriresour
ce/toolbox/poma.htm