Stability of performance of activities of daily living using the MDS

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) requires assessment of performance of activities of daily living (ADLs) by newly admitted nursing home residents over all shifts for a 7-day period, for a total of 21 assessments. This study evaluated within-subject equivalence of multiple assessments of 42 residents' admission MDS ADL performance. Friedman two-way analysis of variance for ranks documented no significant within-subject differences among repealed measurements for all 13 MDS ADL variables. Thus, fewer than 21 assessments may accurately assess ADL performance.