PUBLIC LIBRARY / CALCULATOR

Lawton–Brody Scale (IADL)

Assesses independent community living through instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).

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Check the population, units and version. The result shows the formula or classification; it does not make an automatic treatment decision.

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Method · Limits of application

Lawton–Brody 1969: local 8-domain adaptation 0–1, total 0–8 for both sexes; not the original sex-specific version

This version of Lawton assesses eight instrumental activities and uses a total from 0 to 8 for all genders, following the 2019 HIGN guidance; it does not apply the former five-item male scoring system. The guidance consulted does not recommend the instrument for institutionalized older adults. Answers from the person or an informant describe perceived function and do not demonstrate actual performance of each task; they may overestimate or underestimate ability and fail to capture small changes. Record who answered and the assessment context.

Required fields: 0/8 completed

Complete all required fields. Optional fields are marked.

Telephone required

Shopping required

Meal preparation required

Household tasks required

Laundry required

Transport required

Medication required

Finances required

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Conditions of use

Check the population, units, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and version in the original source. A result alone does not establish a diagnosis, discharge decision or prescription.

Documented parameters

Telephone
Shopping
Meal preparation
Household tasks
Laundry
Transport
Medication
Finances

3/3 reference cases checked. Numerical tests are not clinical validation.

Sources and documentation

Documented formula

Transcribed from the source or a recorded revision; this is not a clinical recommendation.

Each activity scores 1 (independent) or 0 (dependent) by the described level:

Telephone: 1 for the first three levels.
Shopping and meal preparation: 1 only for the first level.
Housework: 1 for every level except “does not participate”.
Laundry: 1 for the first two levels.
Transport: 1 for the first three levels.
Medicines: 1 only for the first level.
Finances: 1 for the first two levels.

Total 0 (dependent) to 8 (independent).

References

Identifier: escala-de-lawton

Original clinical content: Brazilian Portuguese.

Method version

Lawton–Brody 1969: local 8-domain adaptation 0–1, total 0–8 for both sexes; not the original sex-specific version

escala-de-lawton@native-2026-10-05+4e393123cb4f

Source for the active edition

The bibliographic edition identifies the source. By itself, it proves neither full conformity of the formula nor clinical approval.

Synthetic cases checked (3)

Synthetic cases for checking the implementation, with no patient data.

Case 1

reference-001

Inputs

Telephone: Uses the telephone independently (looks up and dials numbers)
Shopping: Does all shopping independently
Meal preparation: Plans, prepares and serves adequate meals independently
Household tasks: Manages the home independently or with occasional help for heavy tasks
Laundry: Washes all personal clothing
Transport: Uses public transport or drives independently
Medication: Takes medication independently at the correct dose and time
Finances: Manages finances independently

{
  "tel": "a",
  "compras": "a",
  "comida": "a",
  "casa": "a",
  "roupa": "a",
  "transp": "a",
  "remedio": "a",
  "dinheiro": "a"
}

Expected result

{
  "score": 8
}

Actual result

{
  "score": 8
}

Case 2

reference-002

Inputs

Telephone: Dials some familiar numbers
Shopping: Does only small purchases independently
Meal preparation: Plans, prepares and serves adequate meals independently
Household tasks: Does light tasks but does not maintain adequate cleanliness
Laundry: Washes small items of clothing
Transport: Uses public transport when accompanied
Medication: Takes medication if someone prepares the doses beforehand
Finances: Unable to manage money

{
  "tel": "b",
  "compras": "b",
  "comida": "a",
  "casa": "c",
  "roupa": "b",
  "transp": "c",
  "remedio": "b",
  "dinheiro": "c"
}

Expected result

{
  "score": 5
}

Actual result

{
  "score": 5
}

Case 3

reference-003

Inputs

Telephone: Dials some familiar numbers
Shopping: Needs someone to accompany them for any shopping
Meal preparation: Needs meals to be prepared and served by others
Household tasks: Does not perform any household tasks
Laundry: All clothing is washed by others
Transport: Travels only by taxi or car with another person’s assistance
Medication: Takes medication if someone prepares the doses beforehand
Finances: Makes everyday purchases but needs help with banking and major purchases

{
  "tel": "b",
  "compras": "c",
  "comida": "d",
  "casa": "e",
  "roupa": "c",
  "transp": "d",
  "remedio": "b",
  "dinheiro": "b"
}

Expected result

{
  "score": 2
}

Actual result

{
  "score": 2
}

Code and reproducibility

This tool’s code on GitHub

Download code and tests

Sources, version and reproduction instructions

README

Local installation

Code license: Apache-2.0

Guidelines and conditions

This repository’s license applies to the code. Third-party instruments, questionnaires, data and models remain subject to their owners’ conditions.

The code tests are technical checks. Clinical approval and professional translation review are recorded separately.

Relationship with cancer research

General context — relationship to be defined

A resource for general clinical contexts. This edition does not assign a specific oncological relationship; selecting it for a study requires a justified question, population and purpose.