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
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