Which measurement instruments are used, and why those
Validated scales for independence, balance, walking, tone and cognition — chosen by diagnosis rather than applied uniformly.
Rehabilitation has a shared measurement vocabulary. Knowing the names lets you compare providers and lets your own clinician read the result.
What each family measures
Independence in daily activities is measured with scales that score how much help a person needs for washing, dressing, transfers and mobility. Balance and walking capacity have their own timed and scored tests. Muscle tone is graded on a defined scale. Cognition is screened separately where it is relevant.
These are published instruments with defined administration, which is what makes a score comparable between two places.
Why the set differs by patient
A spinal cord injury, a stroke and a knee replacement are not measured with the same tools, because the function at stake is different. A centre that applies one battery to everyone is administering a routine rather than assessing a patient.
The instruments intended for your case should be named in the plan before you travel.
Where to read about them
The instruments themselves are described in the Health Library on this site, independently of any programme, because they belong to the field rather than to us.
Reading the scale before admission makes the discharge document considerably easier to interpret.
Topic
More in Measurement and outcomes
- How to read the measurements in a discharge documentTwo scores, the same instrument, the same rules — and what a difference between them does and does not prove.
- What outcome numbers cannot tell youPublished success rates are usually uncheckable. Here is what makes a number meaningful and what makes it decoration.
