Does Resource Utilization Group-Activities of Daily Living Help Us Better Interpret Australian Karnofsky-Modified Performance Scale?

A number of screening tools are used to measure function in palliative care. Understanding relationships between different measures has implications for clinical assessments and service provision. The Australia-modified Karnofsky Performance Scale (AKPS)1 and the Resource Utilization Group-Activities of Daily Living (RUG-ADL)2 are two scales collected routinely by the Australian national Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration, the world's largest point-of-care symptom and function data collection.3 The AKPS is an 11-point ordinal interval scale (0–100) that measures a person's performance status as it relates to levels of current activity and needs for support.1 The RUG-ADL2 is a four-item ordinal scale, which measures four aspects of physical function—bed mobility, transfers, toileting, and eating. The RUG-ADL tool was developed to measure resource use, which is reflected in its rating system. This study aimed to understand whether the AKPS and RUG-ADL could each aid in the interpretation of the other.