Barthel Index
Measures activities of daily living performance to assess functional independence in rehabilitation
- Highest activation tier
- Recommended
- How it is scored
- Scored in code; a stated value is compared only from the structured summary or a supplied value
- Scoring type
- questionnaire
- Care settings
- Inpatient, Outpatient
When it activates
Scribeable activates a calculator from the encounter. The Barthel Index can activate when the transcript or pasted chart context documents any of these:
- ADL assessment
- Rehabilitation progress tracking
- Discharge planning functional evaluation
Note-type scope: it activates on notes whose subject resolves to rehab, neurology, hospital medicine. A note that resolves to another subject does not carry it even when the clinician's specialty matches; a note with no resolvable subject (a generic consultation) falls back to the specialty match.
Inputs the note needs
1 input. Each is resolved from the transcript, the pasted chart context and charted labs; at this calculator’s tier a missing input is never requested, and a missing required input keeps the score out of the draft.
| Input | Type | Unit / options | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barthel Index total (0-100, in 5-point increments) | symptom |
Scoring
10 ADL items scored in 5-pt increments. Total 0-100.
Interpretation
0-20: Total dependence. 25-45: Severe dependence. 50-70: Moderate dependence. 75-90: Slight dependence. 95-100: Independent.
Evidence
Sources carried in Scribeable's citation registry for this calculator; guideline version: Mahoney & Barthel 1965.
- Mahoney FI, Barthel DW. Functional evaluation: the Barthel IndexMahoney & Barthel 1965 · 1965 · link last verified 2026-03-28
How Scribeable handles it in the note
When an encounter activates the Barthel Index (its highest tier is recommended), Scribeable does not ask you for missing inputs. The score is computed in code from whatever inputs resolve from the transcript, the pasted chart context or charted labs; a computed value is written into the draft only when every required input already resolves.
The score is computed in code from the resolved inputs, not recalled by the language model. A stated Barthel Index value is compared against the computed one when the draft's structured summary carries it; a disagreement found there is flagged to the second drafting pass, which is instructed to correct the score and its interpretation, unless Scribeable has supplied the computed value to that pass, in which case the value the draft writes is checked against the supplied one and a detected difference is shown beside the note for you to adjudicate rather than silently rewritten.
Classified as a risk score: activated strictly, by a documented trigger, never by a permissive reading of the encounter.
See it activate on your own encounter
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