Functional Independence Measure (FIM)

Description: The FIM is an assessment of the amount of assistance required to carry out activities of daily living.

Format: 18 items to evaluate 6 areas of function (Self-care, Sphincter control, Mobility, Locomotion, Communication and Social cognition). Consisted of 13 motor tasks and 5 cognitive tasks.

Scoring: Tasks are rated on a 7-point scale that ranges from 1 (complete independence) to 7 (complete dependence). Total scores are summed and range from 18 (complete dependence) to 126 (complete independence).

Administration and Burden: Interviewer-administered. Approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

Psychometrics for SCI: Internal consistency of the FIM: α=0.934 to 0.953 (motor) and α=0.930 to 0.983(cognitive). Inter-rater reliability: kappa levels between 0.48 and 1.00. Reliability: intraclass correlation coefficients (3.1) = 0.90 (motor) and 0.98 (cognitive). [1]

Language(s): Afrikaans, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish.

QoL Concept: The FIM is an assessment of the amount of assistance required to carry out activities of daily living, which corresponds to Boxes B (societal standards), & C (achievements) of Dijker’s Model.

Permissions/Where to Obtain: Consult the website of the Department of Veterans Affairs of the United States of America (http://www.va.gov/vdl/documents/Clinical/Func_Indep_Meas/fim_user_manual.pdf).

**CLICK ON THE LISTED SECONDARY HEALTH CONDITIONS ON THE RIGHT TO READ HOW THE FIM HAS BEEN USED WITH A PARTICULAR CONDITION**

References:

1. Küçükdeveci, AA, Yavuzer, G, Elhan, AH, Sonel, B, Tennant, A. Adaptation of the Functional Independence Measure for use in Turkey. Clinical Rehabilitation 2001;15:311–319.