TY - JOUR
T1 - Interrater Reliability of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia, Berg Balance Scale, and Functional Independence Measure Motor Domain in Individuals With Hereditary Cerebellar Ataxia
AU - Milne, Sarah C.
AU - Roberts, Melissa
AU - Ross, Hannah L.
AU - Robinson, Amy
AU - Grove, Kristen
AU - Modderman, Gabrielle
AU - Williams, Shannon
AU - Chua, Jillian
AU - Grootendorst, Alison C.
AU - Massey, Libby
AU - Szmulewicz, David J.
AU - Delatycki, Martin B.
AU - Corben, Louise A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by an Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Lifting Clinical Trials and Registries Capacity Program grant (No. APP1152226 ) and a Rebecca L Cooper grant (No. PG2018135 ). LAC was funded by an MRFF Career Development Fellowship (No. APP1143098 ).
Funding Information:
This work was supported by an Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Lifting Clinical Trials and Registries Capacity Program grant (No. APP1152226) and a Rebecca L Cooper grant (No. PG2018135). LAC was funded by an MRFF Career Development Fellowship (No. APP1143098).The authors thank all participants who give their time for this study, the Cerebellar Ataxia Australia Association and the Friedreich Ataxia Network for their assistance in recruitment, and the MJD Foundation for their support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
PY - 2023/10
Y1 - 2023/10
N2 - Objective: To determine the interrater reliability of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and motor domain of the FIM (m-FIM) administered by physiotherapists in individuals with a hereditary cerebellar ataxia (HCA). Design: Participants were assessed by 1 of 4 physiotherapists. Assessments were video-recorded and the remaining 3 physiotherapists scored the scales for each participant. Raters were blinded to each other's scores. Setting: Assessments were administered at 3 clinical locations in separate states in Australia. Participants: Twenty-one individuals (mean age=47.63 years; SD=18.42; 13 male and 8 female) living in the community with an HCA were recruited (N=21). Main Outcome Measures: Total and single-item scores of the SARA, BBS, and m-FIM were examined. The m-FIM was conducted by interview. Results: Intraclass coefficients (2,1) for the total scores of the m-FIM (0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.96), SARA (0.92; 95% CI, 0.86-0.96), and BBS (0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99) indicated excellent interrater reliability. However, there was inconsistent agreement with the individual items, with SARA item 5 (right side) and item 7 (both sides) demonstrating poor interrater reliability and items 1 and 2 demonstrating excellent reliability. Conclusions: The m-FIM (by interview), SARA, and BBS have excellent interrater reliability for use when assessing individuals with an HCA. Physiotherapists could be considered for administration of the SARA in clinical trials. However, further work is required to improve the agreement of the single-item scores and to examine the other psychometric properties of these scales.
AB - Objective: To determine the interrater reliability of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and motor domain of the FIM (m-FIM) administered by physiotherapists in individuals with a hereditary cerebellar ataxia (HCA). Design: Participants were assessed by 1 of 4 physiotherapists. Assessments were video-recorded and the remaining 3 physiotherapists scored the scales for each participant. Raters were blinded to each other's scores. Setting: Assessments were administered at 3 clinical locations in separate states in Australia. Participants: Twenty-one individuals (mean age=47.63 years; SD=18.42; 13 male and 8 female) living in the community with an HCA were recruited (N=21). Main Outcome Measures: Total and single-item scores of the SARA, BBS, and m-FIM were examined. The m-FIM was conducted by interview. Results: Intraclass coefficients (2,1) for the total scores of the m-FIM (0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.96), SARA (0.92; 95% CI, 0.86-0.96), and BBS (0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99) indicated excellent interrater reliability. However, there was inconsistent agreement with the individual items, with SARA item 5 (right side) and item 7 (both sides) demonstrating poor interrater reliability and items 1 and 2 demonstrating excellent reliability. Conclusions: The m-FIM (by interview), SARA, and BBS have excellent interrater reliability for use when assessing individuals with an HCA. Physiotherapists could be considered for administration of the SARA in clinical trials. However, further work is required to improve the agreement of the single-item scores and to examine the other psychometric properties of these scales.
KW - Ataxia
KW - Neurologic examination
KW - Patient outcome assessment
KW - Postural balance
KW - Rehabilitation
KW - Reproducibility of results
KW - Spinocerebellar ataxias
KW - Spinocerebellar degenerations
KW - Walking
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85163279213&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apmr.2023.05.003
DO - 10.1016/j.apmr.2023.05.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 37268274
AN - SCOPUS:85163279213
SN - 0003-9993
VL - 104
SP - 1646
EP - 1651
JO - Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
JF - Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
IS - 10
ER -