DASI Calculator - Duke Activity Status Index

The Duke Activity Status Index, usually shortened to DASI, is a 12-question measure of functional capacity. It asks whether a person can perform common activities ranging from self-care and indoor walking to running and strenuous sport. Each yes response has a validated weight based on the metabolic demand of that activity. Adding those weights produces a score from zero to 58.2, with higher scores indicating greater reported exercise capacity. The calculator also converts the questionnaire total into estimated peak oxygen uptake. The published equation is peak VO2 equals 0.43 times the DASI score plus 9.6. Dividing that oxygen estimate by 3.5 gives metabolic equivalents, or METs. One MET approximates resting oxygen consumption. These derived values help clinicians describe functional capacity in a familiar exercise unit, but they remain estimates rather than direct cardiopulmonary exercise measurements. DASI is often used before surgery, in cardiovascular evaluation, during rehabilitation, and when tracking changes in everyday ability. The questions should reflect what the person can currently do, not what they used to do or might attempt despite symptoms. A yes response means the activity can be completed without another person's assistance and without being stopped by chest discomfort, severe breathlessness, dizziness, musculoskeletal limitation, or another relevant symptom. When uncertainty exists, the more conservative response is usually more informative. The result is not a diagnosis and cannot determine whether exercise is safe. Acute illness, disability, pain, environmental barriers, and unfamiliarity with an activity can affect answers independently of cardiovascular fitness. Clinicians interpret the score with symptoms, examination, medical history, and planned procedure. New chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, or a sudden decline in function requires medical assessment rather than repeated online testing. Use the same interpretation each time if monitoring change. A higher score over time can suggest improved reported capacity, while a lower score may identify a meaningful decline, but measurement context matters. Direct exercise testing provides more precise physiologic data when needed.