Disability Rating Index Clinical Workflow

Introduction

The Disability Rating Index (DRI) is a patient-reported outcome measure developed by Salén et al. in 1994 [1], with the aim of measuring physical disability of respondents within a clinical setting. The DRI evaluates a respondent’s disability by assessing activity and participation limitations.

The Disability Rating Index flow contains the Disability Rating Index (DRI) questionnaire and associated calculation. After form submission, the Disability Rating Index calculation is executed automatically. It's easy to extend this flow with conditional logic based on the interpretation of the Disability Rating Index calculation.

Disability Rating Index (DRI) questionnaire

Questions and Scoring

The DRI is a questionnaire covering 12 items concerning physical function only arranged as a visual analogue scale (VAS):

1. Dressing (without help);
2. Outdoor walks;
3. Climbing stairs;
4. Sitting for a longer time;
5. Standing bent over a sink;
6. Carrying a bag;
7. Making a bed;
8. Running;
9. Light work;
10. Heavy work;
11. Lifting heavy objects;
12. Participating in exercise/sports.

The anchor points are without difficulty = 0 and not at all = 100. The 12 items are divided into three sections: 1-4, common basic activities of daily life; 5-8, more demanding daily physical activities; 9-12,work-related or more vigorous activities.

Calculations

The mean of the 12 items provides the DRI.

Interpretation

DRI equal or bigger than 50 % are considered a positive score.

References

[1] Salén BA, Spangfort EV, Nygren AL, Nordemar R. The Disability Rating Index: an instrument for the assessment of disability in clinical settings. J Clin Epidemiol. 1994;47(12):1423-1435. doi:10.1016/0895-4356(94)90086-8