You’ve just been discharged from the hospital after a stroke. A stranger hands you a form with ten simple questions:
Suddenly, your entire future — where you live, who helps you, even your insurance coverage — comes down to a number between 0 and 100. barthel index
That’s the (BI). And it’s one of the most quietly powerful tools in medicine. What is the Barthel Index? Developed in 1955 by physical therapist Dorothy Barthel and a physician colleague, the BI was revolutionary for one reason: it stopped asking “What’s your diagnosis?” and started asking “What can you actually do ?” You’ve just been discharged from the hospital after