Assessment of Activities of Daily Living in Post-cardiac Care Unit Using Barthel and Katz Indexes: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Activities of daily living (ADL) refer to the ability to perform the essential self-care activities that are necessary to have a life without dependency. Development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, as age progresses, can affect ADL. Facilitating the return of patients to the ADL and determining the level of care is one of the responsibilities of nurses. Therefore, using Barthel and Katz indexes, this study aimed to assess ADL dependency after discharge from cardiac care unit (CCU). Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 180 patients were selected by the available sampling method. Data were analyzed before and after admission to the CCU using SPSS software version 13. Results: The mean score of the Barthel and Katz indexes, before admission to the CCU, was 92.96 and 5.37, respectively, which changed to 82.85 and 4.57 post-cardiac care unit (P-CCU). Accordingly, ADL dependency increased after discharge from CCU. Conclusion: After discharge from the CCU (in P-CCU), patients do not return to the same level of activities before hospitalization, and the functional status and ability of patients to perform daily activities decrease.