The medical abbreviation "ADL" stands for "Activities of Daily Living". Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) refer to the basic self-care tasks that individuals perform on a daily basis to maintain their health, hygiene, and well-being. These tasks include things like bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, and mobility.
In healthcare settings, the ability of patients to perform ADLs is often assessed as a measure of their functional status and overall health. Healthcare providers use various tools and assessments to evaluate a patient's ADL performance, such as the Katz ADL Scale, Barthel Index, and Functional Independence Measure (FIM).
Assessing a patient's ADL performance can help healthcare providers identify areas of weakness or difficulty and develop appropriate interventions to improve their independence and quality of life. It is an important aspect of patient-centred care and can impact a patient's ability to live independently, participate in their community, and manage their health conditions.