Revisiting the Barthel Index　― A Common Language for Activities of Daily Living With Timeless Value in the Digital Era ―

Hiroaki Obata; Tohru Izumi; Takayuki Inomata; Shigeru Makita; Shigeru Fujimoto

doi:10.1253/circj.CJ-25-0443

This article has now been updated. Please use the final version.

Revisiting the Barthel Index　― A Common Language for Activities of Daily Living With Timeless Value in the Digital Era ―

Hiroaki Obata , Tohru Izumi, Takayuki Inomata, Shigeru Makita, Shigeru Fujimoto

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Keywords: Activities of daily living, Barthel Index, Discharge planning, Older patients

JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML Advance online publication

Article ID: CJ-25-0443

DOI https://doi.org/10.1253/circj.CJ-25-0443

The final version of this article is now available: Vol. 89 (2025), No. 10 pp. 1722-1723

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Abstract

Background: In aging societies, shared tools are needed to assess and communicate activities of daily living (ADL). The Barthel Index (BI) is widely used in administrative data but remains underutilized in discharge planning.

Methods and Results: We analyzed 605 older cardiovascular patients discharged from a regional hospital, classifying functional levels by BI ambulation, total score, and 6-minute walk distance. Higher levels corresponded with greater ADL independence across BI items.

Conclusions: The BI reflects structured functional tiers and serves as a common language in care coordination.

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