The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) is a comprehensive 36-item measure designed to assess disability in adults aged 18 years and older. The assessment evaluates disability across six key domains: understanding and communicating, getting around, self-care, getting along with people, life activities (including household, work, and school activities), and participation in society. Each item asks the individual to rate the level of difficulty experienced in these areas over the past 30 days. An example question might be, "In the last 30 days, how much difficulty did you have walking a long distance such as a kilometer [or equivalent]?" The responses range from "none" (0) to "extreme" (4), allowing individuals to accurately reflect their level of impairment.

Self-report

39

18+

Monthly or as clinically appropriate

Responses are provided on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0-4. Scoring the WHODAS 2.0 can be done using either a simple or complex method. The simple scoring method involves summing the scores of items 1-36 directly, without any adjustments, resulting in a total score that represents the degree of functional limitations. The total score ranges from 0-144. Note that items 25-28 are optional; they are only for those who are working or going to school. Items 37-39 inquire about the number of days their day-to-day life was impacted in the past month; these items are not included in scoring.

In contrast, the complex scoring method, based on item-response-theory (IRT), involves a more nuanced approach. Here, item responses are differentially weighted according to the severity of the difficulty reported, with domain scores being summed and then converted into a summary metric ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 represents no disability and 100 indicates full disability. This complex method provides a more refined understanding of an individual's functional status, though it requires specialized software available from the WHO website. The complex scoring allows for comparison to population norms, which are also available on the WHO website and are periodically updated.

The WHODAS 2.0 also provides specific scores for six functioning domains: cognition, mobility, self-care, getting along, life activities (household and work), and participation. Domain scores offer more detailed insights than the overall summary score and can be useful for monitoring individual progress. Blueprint produces domain scores, which are calculated by summing the ratings of the items in each respective domain. See domains and corresponding items below:

Similar to total score calculations described above, only the domain scores calculated using the more complex, IRT-based scoring method are effective for population comparisons. See the WHO website for information on this approach to scoring.

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World Health Organization, 2012. All rights reserved. Measuring health and disability: manual for WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0), World Health Organization, 2010, Geneva.

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