Dynamic Gait Index (DGI)

BioPsychoSocial Assessment Tools for the Elderly - Assessment Summary Sheet

Test: Dynamic Gait Index (DGI)

Year: 1995

Domain: Biological

Assessment Tool Category: Mobility

Variations/Translations: Available in Portuguese

Setting: Clinical

Method of Delivery: Administered by a clinician/professional.

Description: Developed to assess the likelihood of falling in older adults. Tests 8 facets of gait while performing level walking exercises and more complex tasks. Tasks reflect everyday experiences as walking around objects, turning and stopping quickly, and movement of the head are all added to the DGI.

Scoring/Interpretation: Each facet of gait is assigned a level of function such as normal, mild impairment, moderate impairment, and severe impairment for different walking activities. A scale ranging from 0-3 is used to determine score. 0 indicates a low level of function and 3 indicates a high level of functioning. In total, a score of less than 19/24 is predictive of falls in the elderly. A score of >22 signifies a safe ambulator.

Time to Administer: 15 minutes

Availability: Available online (see below)

Software: N/A

Website: pt.umaryland.edu/clinical_education/docs/outcome_tools/Dynamic_Gait_Index.doc

Quantitative/Qualitative: Quantitative based on qualitative methods

Validity (Quantitative): The DGI discriminates well between fallers and no fallers in community dwelling older adults (no statistics reported).

Reliability (Quantitative): DGI has excellent test-retest reliability (ICC=> 0.75). Inter-rater reliability was found to be 0.96.

References:

Shumway-Cook, A., Woollacott, M. (1995). Motor Control Theory and Applications, Williams and Wilkins: Baltimore.

Shumway-Cook, A., Gruber, W., Baldwin, M., & Liao, S. (1997). The effect of multidimensional exercises on balance, mobility, and fall risk in community-dwelling older adults. Physical Therapy, 77, 46–57.

Shumway-Cook, A., Baldwin, M., Polissar, N.L., & Gruber, W. (1997). Predicting the probability for falls in community-dwelling older adults. Physical Therapy, 77, 812–819.

Comments: N/A