The original six activities, defined by Katz in the 1960s were bathing, dressing, toileting, transfer, continence, and feeding.
A patient’s ability to perform each of these activities, the evaluation of ADLs on a serial basis has been found to be an important indicator of patient prognosis.
Comparison of ADL deficits with the Karnofsky performance status (KPS) or the palliative performance scale (PPS) ratings has shown that patients with a KPS/PPS score of 50 typically have dependence in at least three of the six ADLs; and it is generally accepted that a KPS/PPS score of 50 or less is predictive that the patient may have a prognosis of 6 months or less.
