Psychometric characteristics of the BEITI - an assessment scale of daily functioning.

BACKGROUND: BEITI is a comprehensive test of a wide range of basic and extended daily functioning. It was developed for physiotherapists in the community to enable increased sensitivity in detecting changes in the functioning of patients with different diagnoses. BEITI was found to be valid, reliable and valuable in terms of the time and effort involved. Its clinical properties as a measurement in inpatients with brain lesions is yet to be determined. OBJECTIVE: To translate BEITI from Hebrew into English, and explore its psychometric properties in inpatients with brain lesions in the subacute phase. METHODS: The admission and discharge records of 131 patients hospitalized in a neurological rehabilitation department were reviewed retrospectively. The internal consistency, responsiveness, and floor and ceiling effects of BEITI were assessed. RESULTS: Excellent internal consistency was found for BEITI at admission and discharge (Cronbach's α ≥ 0.964). BEITI had high effect sizes (effect size = 1.11, standardized response mean = 1.54). Significant changes over time were found for the BEITI (p < 0.001). No floor or ceiling effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: BEITI is a reliable and responsive scale for assessing basic and extended daily functioning in inpatients with brain injuries in the subacute phase.