BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Outcome measurement fidelity within and between sites of multi-site, randomized, clinical trials is an essential element to meaningful trial outcomes. As important are the methods developed for randomized, clinical trials that can have practical utility for clinical practice. A standardized measurement method and rater training program were developed for the total Fugl-Meyer motor and sensory assessments; inter-rater reliability was used to test program effectiveness. METHODS:Fifteen individuals with hemiparetic stroke, 17 trained physical therapists across 5 regional clinical sites, and an expert rater participated in an inter-rater reliability study of theFugl-Meyer motor (total, upper extremity, and lower extremity subscores) and sensory (total, light touch, and proprioception subscores) assessments. RESULTS:Intra-rater reliability for the expert rater was high for the motor and sensory scores (range, 0.95-1.0). Inter-rater agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient, 2, 1) between expert and therapist raters was high for the motor scores (total, 0.98; upper extremity, 0.99; lower extremity, 0.91) and sensory scores (total, 0.93; light touch, 0.87; proprioception, 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Standardized measurement methods and training of therapist assessors for a multi-site, rehabilitation, randomized, clinical trial resulted in high inter-rater reliability for the Fugl-Meyer motor and sensory assessments. Poststroke sensorimotor impairment severity can be reliably assessed for clinical practice or rehabilitation research with these methods.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Outcome measurement fidelity within and between sites of multi-site, randomized, clinical trials is an essential element to meaningful trial outcomes. As important are the methods developed for randomized, clinical trials that can have practical utility for clinical practice. A standardized measurement method and rater training program were developed for the total Fugl-Meyer motor and sensory assessments; inter-rater reliability was used to test program effectiveness. METHODS: Fifteen individuals with hemiparetic stroke, 17 trained physical therapists across 5 regional clinical sites, and an expert rater participated in an inter-rater reliability study of the Fugl-Meyer motor (total, upper extremity, and lower extremity subscores) and sensory (total, light touch, and proprioception subscores) assessments. RESULTS: Intra-rater reliability for the expert rater was high for the motor and sensory scores (range, 0.95-1.0). Inter-rater agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient, 2, 1) between expert and therapist raters was high for the motor scores (total, 0.98; upper extremity, 0.99; lower extremity, 0.91) and sensory scores (total, 0.93; light touch, 0.87; proprioception, 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Standardized measurement methods and training of therapist assessors for a multi-site, rehabilitation, randomized, clinical trial resulted in high inter-rater reliability for the Fugl-Meyer motor and sensory assessments. Poststroke sensorimotor impairment severity can be reliably assessed for clinical practice or rehabilitation research with these methods.
Authors: Judith E Deutsch; Mary Jane Myslinski; Michal Kafri; Richard Ranky; Mark Sivak; Constantinos Mavroidis; Jeffrey A Lewis Journal: J Neurol Phys Ther Date: 2013-09 Impact factor: 3.649
Authors: Gary K Steinberg; Douglas Kondziolka; Lawrence R Wechsler; L Dade Lunsford; Maria L Coburn; Julia B Billigen; Anthony S Kim; Jeremiah N Johnson; Damien Bates; Bill King; Casey Case; Michael McGrogan; Ernest W Yankee; Neil E Schwartz Journal: Stroke Date: 2016-06-02 Impact factor: 7.914
Authors: Rosa Cabanas-Valdés; Jordi Calvo-Sanz; Pol Serra-Llobet; Joana Alcoba-Kait; Vanessa González-Rueda; Pere Ramón Rodríguez-Rubio Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-04-21 Impact factor: 3.390