In 83 patients with stroke, multiple regression analysis was used to identify 5 variables, measured at the 1st assessment shortly after stroke, that related to the Barthel ADL score at 6 months. The variables were age, the presence of hemianopia or visual inattention, the presence of urinary incontinence, the motor deficit in the affected arm, and the patient's sitting balance. A 2nd equation, based upon the initial Barthel score with age and hemianopia added, was also developed. The success of the 1st equation in predicting the final Barthel score was about 55%, a rate better than that yielded by the 2nd equation, and also better than that produced by adding the average improvement score to the patient's initial score.