The Effects of Introducing the Klein-Bell ADL Scale in a Rehabilitation Service

This study investigated the impact of introducing the Klein-Bell ADL Scale into a rehabilitation medicine service. A pretest and a posttest questionnaire of rehabilitation team members and a pretest and a posttest audit of occupational therapy documentation were completed. Results of the questionnaire suggested that the ADL scale influenced rehabilitation team members’ observations in the combined area of occupational therapy involvement in self-care, improvement in the identification of treatment goals and plans, and communication between team members. Results of the audit suggested that the thoroughness and quantification of occupational therapy documentation improved. The clinical implications of these findings recommend the use of the Klein-Bell ADL Scale in rehabilitation services for improving occupational therapy documentation and for enhancing rehabilitation team effectiveness.