Reliability of testing measures in Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy

Autor: A E, Barr, B E, Diamond, C K, Wade, T, Harashima, W A, Pecorella, C C, Potts, H, Rosenthal, J L, Fleiss, D J, McMahon
Rok vydání: 1991
Předmět:
Zdroj: Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 72(5)
ISSN: 0003-9993
Popis: In a multiinstitutional collaborative study, we ascertained the interevaluator and intraevaluator reliability of six physical therapists who performed assessment measures on 36 boys (11.7 +/- 3.9 years) with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy. Upper and lower extremities were evaluated by manual muscle testing for function, range of motion, and strength. The data were analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). For the interevaluator phase, ICCs were as follows: average muscle strength, .90; range of motion, .76; and upper extremity functional performance, .58. For the intraevaluator phase, corresponding ICCs were .80 to .96; .33 to .97; .34 to 1.00. Our results confirm and extend observations by others that these assessment measures are sufficiently reliable for use in a multiinstitutional collaborative effort. Such results can be used to design clinical trials that have sufficient statistical power to detect changes in the rate of disease progression. Investigators planning clinical trials in a multiinstitutional collaborative setting should first standardize the assessment methods, provide evaluator training, and document reliability.
Databáze: OpenAIRE