The Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (GARS) is general, disease independent instrument for measuring disability. It can be used to monitor a patient over time and to identify potential interventions. The authors are from the University of Groningen in The Netherlands.
Statements about Activities of Daily Living (ADL): 11 items
Statements about Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL): 7 items
Response (based on what the patient is able to do)
Points
Yes, I can do it fully independently without any difficulty
1
Yes, I can do it fully independently but with some difficulty
2
Yes, I can do it fully independently but with great difficulty
3
No, I cannot do it fully independently. I can only do it with someone's help.
4
No I cannot do it at all. I need complete help.
4
where:
• The point assignment for needing complete help was originally 5 points but was switched to 4 because only a few patients selected this response. There may be an argument to keep it at 5 points.
• The response is based on what the patient is able to do rather than what s/he usually does.
total score =
= SUM(points for all 18 items)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 18
• maximum score: 72
• The higher the score, the greater the disability.
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