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PubMedDate not supplied

Reliability of individual differences for H-reflex recordings.

Complementary data from two closely-related experiments were analyzed to investigate the reliability of individual differences of H-reflex amplitude. Some concomitant analysis of M-reflex was also included. The purpose was to do this in a manner that was more direct and more detailed than found hitherto in the literature. Fundamental techniques espoused particularly by F.M. Henry (1969) formed the basis of this approach. The aims included a clearer quantification of reliability with a distinction between inter- and intra-individual sources of variation, an analysis of the effects different numbers of trials had on reliability, and an investigation of the progression of reliability over a 20-trial sequence of observations. The control conditions of both experiments were designed to be essentially identical with respect to subject position, stimulus and recording configurations. Experiment 1 had 20 subjects, four control conditions of 10-trials in each while experiment 2 had 18 subjects, five control conditions and 20 trials. The posterior tibial nerve was percutaneously stimulated every 10 sec. and surface electromyographic recordings were made from the soleus muscle. H-reflex and M-reflex amplitudes were measured on every trial. It was found that the reliability of individual differences of both H-reflex and M-reflex was extremely robust with the majority of coefficients being above .950. In addition, the reliabilities remained high when as few as four trials were examined. The pattern of individual differences over the longer series of trials confirmed the stability of interindividual differences and showed that subjects became more consistent in their responses as trials progressed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

H-Reflex↗
PubMed1992

Reliability and variability of heart rate monitoring in 3-, 4-, or 5-yr-old children.

We describe the daily heart rate patterns and the between day and within day reliabilities of several heart rate variables measured in 159 Anglo-, African-, and Mexican-American children aged 3-5 yr. Heart rates were measured over 12 waking hours with a Quantum XL Telemetry heart rate monitor. There were no significant ethnic, gender, day of week, or season of the year differences in either mean resting heart rate, mean daily heart rate, mean longest duration of the heart rate sustained above 120 bpm for the day, nor percent of minutes of daily heart rate above 120 bpm. The reliabilities for these variables for 2 d of observation separated by 3-6 months ranged from 0.65 to 0.66. At this level of reliability, just over 4 d of recording are necessary to achieve a reliability of 0.80. All within-day across-hour reliabilities were greater than 0.80. However, for mean hourly heart rate and the longest duration of heart rate sustained above 120 bpm each hour, a principal components analysis revealed three distinct time components during the day. This suggests that monitoring heart rate during limited portions of the day will provide a biased estimate of overall heart rate. For the morning component, there were significant ethnic and gender differences in the children's heart rates and younger children had longer durations of heart rate sustained above 120 bpm than older children. Although daily heart rate monitoring is not a perfect indicator of children's physical activity, these data suggest that it may be a reliable measure among younger children from different ethnic and gender groups.

Black People↗
PubMed2005

The reliability of an aerobic and an anaerobic exercise tolerance test in patients with juvenile onset dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability of an aerobic and an anaerobic exercise test in patients with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). METHODS: Sixteen patients with JDM (mean age 13.85 +/- 6.4 yrs, range 6.7-27.2) participated. Anaerobic exercise capacity was measured using the Wingate Anaerobic Exercise Test (WAnT). Aerobic exercise test was performed using a graded exercise test to volitional exhaustion on an electronically braked cycle ergometer. Patients were tested and retested within 12.8 +/- 5.7 days. RESULTS: Correlation coefficients and other reliability statistics indicated that peak power and mean power on the WAnT and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and maximal workload (Wmax) on the aerobic exercise test could be reliably assessed in patients with JDM. Pearson (R) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were > 0.85, and typical error was < 20% for the peak power and mean power on the WAnT. On the aerobic exercise test the R and ICC were > 0.95, and typical error was < 6% for the VO2peak and Wmax. CONCLUSION: We found acceptable reliability for the WAnT and very good reliability for the aerobic exercise test. This indicated that these exercise tests could be performed reliably in patients with JDM.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

A comparative reliability analysis of computer-generated bitemark overlays.

This study compared the reliability of two methods used to produce computer-generated bitemark overlays with Adobe Photoshop (Adobe Systems Inc., San Jose, CA). Scanned images of twelve dental casts were sent to 30 examiners with different experience levels. Examiners were instructed to produce an overlay for each cast image based on the instructions provided for the two techniques. Measurements of the area and the x-y coordinate position of the biting edges of the anterior teeth were obtained using Scion Image software program (Scion Corporation, Frederick, MD) for each overlay. The inter- and intra-reliability assessment of the measurements was performed using an analysis of variance and calculation of reliability coefficients. The assessment of the area measurements showed significant variances seen in the examiner variable for both techniques resulting in low reliability coefficients. Conversely, the results for the positional measurements showed no significant differences in the variances between examiners with exceptionally high reliability coefficients. It was concluded that both techniques were reliable methods to produce bitemark overlays in assessing tooth position.

Bites, Human↗
PubMed2005

The Child Dental Control Assessment (CDCA) in youth: reliability, validity and cross-cultural differences.

AIM: The Child Dental Control Assessment (CDCA) measures children's preferred control strategies in the dental situation. Three studies are reported, assessing aspects of this instrument in youths from the USA, Japan and Australia. In particular, measurements were made as to the reliability and validity of this instrument in this age group in the three cultures, as well as comparing some results across cultures. STUDY DESIGN: These studies used a questionnaire design. METHODS: Questionnaires (including the CDCA and other measures) were given to youths aged 11-15 in the three cultures. In one culture, youths received the questionnaire twice, to compute test-retest reliability. RESULTS: The measure's reliability and validity were similar to those of other measures. The CDCA behaves similarly to the Revised Iowa Dental Control Index (R-IDCI). Youths in all three cultures showed similar responses, although the Japanese were less likely to endorse items. STATISTICS: Internal reliability of the scale ranged from 0.74 to 0.85. Test- retest reliability was 0.74. Participants in the High Desire/Low Predicted classification on the R-IDCI scored higher on the CDCA (t (73) = 2.9, p < .01). In the Japanese and Australian samples the correlation between CDCA and dental fear was 0.29-0.33 (p < .001). The Australian and USA samples scored significantly higher than the Japanese sample (overall F(2,1544) = 383.98, p < .001, followed by Tukey's HSD, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the CDCA in youth. It appears to measure the discrepancy between Desired and Predicted Control identified in the Revised Iowa Dental Control Index (R-IDCI). Responses of the youth in all three cultures were similar, indicating common dental control preferences for individuals of this age. However, consistent with cultural values, Japanese youth were less likely to endorse the control strategies. These results underline the need to develop culturally-specific, as well as situationally-specific control measures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Reliability of acetabular measures in developmental dysplasia of the hip.

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability in the measurement of the acetabular index and the acetabular angle in children with developmental dysplasia of the hip. Seventeen children with unilateral developmental dislocation of the hip treated by closed reduction were reviewed. The acetabular index and the acetabular angle of 34 hips were measured twice by two observers. The method of Bland and Altman as outlined by Loder was used to calculate reliability. Mean age at reduction was 9 months. Radiographs were reviewed at a mean of 58 months following reduction. The intraobserver reliability of the acetabular index in involved hips was +/-4.1 degrees. The intraobserver reliability of the acetabular angle for involved hips was +/-3.6 degrees. The interobserver reliability of the acetabular index in involved hips was +/-13.7 degrees. The interobserver reliability of the acetabular angle for involved hips was +/-7.8 degrees. To ensure true change, a single observer should document at least an 8 degrees change in the acetabular index or a 7 degrees change in acetabular angle between two radiographs.

Acetabulum↗
PubMed2005

Use of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders for multinational research: translation efforts and reliability assessments in The Netherlands.

AIMS: To outline the steps taken to conduct and to culturally adapt Dutch translations of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) history questionnaire, clinical examination form, and verbal instructions to the patients, and to assess the reliability of the clinical examination. METHODS: For the linguistic translation from English into Dutch, the forward and back-translation approach was followed. For cultural adaptation, an expert panel reviewed the translation, and a pretest was performed on a small clinical sample. Examiner training and calibration were carried out, and the clinical reliability of a "gold standard examiner" and 3 clinicians was assessed on 18 symptomatic TMD patients and 6 asymptomatic controls. The order of the examinations was based on a quasi-random Latin square design. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess the overall interexaminer reliability of the clinical examination. RESULTS: A linguistically valid and culturally equivalent translation of the RDC/TMD into Dutch resulted from the above-outlined procedure. As for the clinical reliability, the ICC values obtained could mostly be considered "excellent" or, less frequently, as "fair to good." Poor reliability was found only for some of the palpation tests. For uncommon diagnoses (disc displacement without reduction and without limited mouth opening; osteoarthritis), no reliable ICC value could be calculated. CONCLUSION: The mode described by the authors for preparing clinical sites for RDC/TMD-based research is a feasible one.

Communication↗
PubMed1996

Reliability of ground reaction forces during a vertical jump: implications for functional strength assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the reliability of ground reaction force during a vertical jump. DESIGN AND SETTING: Two test sessions 48 hours apart in which subjects performed five maximal vertical jumps with their right lower extremity on a force platform without arm movement. Applied Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Toledo. SUBJECTS: Nineteen healthy males (n = 12) and females (n = 7), with an average age of 21.3 years and 23.2 years, respectively, from the University of Toledo participated in this study. The average height for males and females was 70.0 and 66.6 inches, respectively. The average weight for males was 170.5 lbs., while the average weight for females was 132.4 lbs. MEASUREMENTS: Reliability of the peak vertical ground reaction force and vertical impulse was assessed using the formula for intraclass correlation coefficient (2,1) (ICC [2,1]). RESULTS: Measurement of peak vertical ground reaction force was demonstrated to be very reliable (ICC [2,1] r(xx) = .94; SEM = .003% BW), whereas the reliability estimate for vertical impulse was not very reliable (ICC [2,1] r(xx) = .22; SEM = .24% BW seconds). Furthermore, no significant relationship was found between peak vertical ground reaction force and vertical impulse. (BW = body weight; SEM = standard error of measurement). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that peak force measured during a one-legged vertical jump is reliable and may provide an alternate method of evaluation of lower extremity functional strength.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Reliability of foot caliper.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the reliability of foot caliper DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: Rehabilitation Medicine Outpatient Department, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. SUBJECT: Fifteen volunteers were recruited from Rehabilitation residents and health care professionals of Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The authors created 3 sets of simple Foot Caliper and measured foot dimension including foot width, foot length and toe depth while subjects stood with equal weight bearing to both feet. The authors set 3 examiners to measure foot dimension by the same method. To determine reliability of 3 sets of foot caliper, one examiner was assigned to measure foot dimension of 30 feet with all calipers. To determine the reliability of examiners, all examiners measured foot dimension of the same 30 feet. All parameters were recorded in millimeters. The data was analyzed and presented as intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% CI. RESULTS: There were fifteen volunteers (8 men and 7 women). The average age was 28.6 +/- 4.11 years (range 22-39). Average foot width,length and great toe depth (millimeters) were 9.64 +/- 0.63, 24.17 +/- 1.10 and 1.91 +/- 0.24 respectively. For reliability analysis of 3 sets off foot caliper, the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% CI were 0.985 (0.972-0.992), 0.996 (0.992-0.998) and 0.982 (0.968-991) for foot width, length and great toe depth, respectively. For Inter-examiner reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were 0.941 (0.864-0.969), 0.850 (0.46-0.920) and 0.834 (0.721-0.910) for foot width, length and great toe depth, respectively. These results showed high agreement of data. CONCLUSION: These simple foot calipers have high reliability forf oot measurement. These devices are appropriate for clinical use.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Test-retest reliability of a WRULD functional capacity evaluation in healthy adults.

The aim of this study was to determine test-retest reliability of a Functional Capacity Evaluation for patients with non-specific Work Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULD FCE). The study sample included 33 healthy adults, consisting of 14 males and 19 females with a mean age of 29.2 years. The WRULD FCE consisted of 8 different tests including 26 items measuring repetitive movements, duration, working in awkward positions, forceful movements and static postures. Two FCE sessions were held with a 10-day interval. Means, 95% confidence intervals, one-way random Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs), 95% limits of agreement and repeated measures were calculated. An ICC between 0.75 and 0.90 was considered as good and an ICC above 0.90 was considered as an excellent reliability. The results showed that 14 of 26 items (54%) had excellent reliability, 9 of 26 items (35%) had good reliability and 3 of 26 items (11%) had moderate reliability based on ICC values. Significant learning effects were present in the Purdue Pegboard Task and in the Complete Minnesota Dexterity Test. It is concluded that the WRULD FCE is reliable in healthy adults.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Test-retest and interrater reliability of Barcelona Test].

INTRODUCTION: The short version of the Barcelona Test is a clinical tool that covers a wide spectrum of neuropsychological skills. Since its creation in 1977, it has often been subject of study either for its internal aspects or in validation studies with other cognitive tests. The results indicate that the Barcelona Test is a useful instrument in detecting cognitive impairment. METHOD: The aim of this study is to measure the testretest reliability and the interrater reliability of the Abbreviated Barcelona Test in normal population. SAMPLE: the sample consists of 31 normal subjects (14 men and 17 women) from 20 to 65 years old. INSTRUMENTS: Abbreviated Barcelona Test (TBA), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Syndrome-Kurztest (SKT) and Interview for Deterioration of Daily living in Dementia (IDDD). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: descriptive statistics and intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability shows good intraclass correlation coefficients with both direct ICC=0.92 (IC 95%: 0.85-0.96) or typified scores ICC=0.79 (IC 95%: 0.61-0.89). Nevertheless, when each of the subtests is considered, correlations clearly show two characteristics: subtest with no or minimal range of scores and subtest with distribution of scores (as is the case of memory and executive function). The intraclass coefficient found for the interrater reliability is ICC =0.99 (IC 95 %: 0.99-0.99) and an alpha of 0.99 which indicate excellent reliability. As a whole, the abbreviated version of the Barcelona Test has excellent test-retest and interrater reliability psychometric characteristics.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Interexaminer reliability of three methods of combining test results to determine side of sacral restriction, sacral base position, and innominate bone position.

CONTEXT: Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is diagnosed based on the combined results of several palpatory examinations. Previous studies have compared the interexaminer reliability of only one of these methods of diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: To compare the interexaminer reliability of three methods of combining palpatory examinations to determine the side of sacroiliac joint dysfunction, sacral base position, and innominate bone position. DESIGN: Blinded single-cohort reliability study. METHODS: Patients with low back pain underwent two identical sets of palpatory examinations given by two physicians, separately, at a university spine center. The results of each set were compiled and interpreted by three methods: using the test result with the highest interexaminer reliability (method 1), requiring at least one test result to be abnormal for the variable to be abnormal (method 2), and requiring all test results to be abnormal for the variable to be abnormal (method 3). The kappa was calculated for each method. RESULTS: There were 24 subjects (mean age, 68.3 years), of which 15 (62%) were women. The kappa was consistently higher with method 1, at 0.47, 0.08, and 0.32 for the sacral position, innominate bone position, and side of sacroiliac joint dysfunction, respectively. Corresponding values for method 2 were 0.09, 0.4, and 0.16, and for method 3 were 0.16, 0.1, and -0.33. CONCLUSION: Using the results of the most reliable examination consistently has the best interexaminer reliability.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Reliability of the gross motor function measure for children with osteogenesis imperfecta.

PURPOSE: The Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) is a criterion-referenced evaluative measure designed to detect change over time for children diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP). Reliability of this measure has not been tested for children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). The purpose of this study was to determine the intra- and interrater reliabilities of the GMFM for use with children diagnosed with OI. METHOD: One physical therapist administered and scored the GMFM for 19 children with OI who were followed at the Shriners Hospital for Children. The assessments were videotaped, then viewed and scored by five physical therapists, including the author, at least six weeks later. Intra- and interrater reliabilities were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Kappa statistics were calculated for items demonstrating more disagreement than the majority. RESULTS: The ICCs for intrarater reliability of the five dimensions and total score were 0.99. The ICCs for interrater reliability were 0.98 for the lying and rolling dimension and 0.99 for the other dimensions and total score. Kappa statistics for items demonstrating more disagreement than the majority ranged from 0.552 to 1.00. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of the reliability of the GMFM for children with OI when scored by pediatric physical therapists familiar with the measure. The videotape provided a consistent situation because each therapist did not directly interact with each child, but rather rated a videotaped session of the child's performance.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

The reliability of isokinetic and isometric leg strength measures among individuals with symptoms of mild osteoarthritis.

AIM: The aim of the study is to evaluate the test-retest reliability of measures of isokinetic and isometric leg strength and joint function among individuals exhibiting symptoms of mild osteoarthritis. Reliable procedures are needed to assess the effectiveness of an intervention on osteoarthritic symptoms. METHODS: Test-retest reliability of two leg strength protocols was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (R). Testing was completed on two occasions separated by 7 days. Eighteen subjects (9 male and 9 female; 54.1+/-11 years) completed an isokinetic testing trial, which consisted of a set of 5 maximal repetitions of the quadriceps and hamstrings at 60 deg/s followed by a set of 15 maximal contractions at 180 deg/s with a 2-min rest between sets and an isometric testing trial, which consist of 3 maximal contractions of the quadriceps for 6 s with a 30-s rest between contractions at 30, 45, and 80 degrees of knee flexion for a total of 9 isometric contractions. A 90-s rest occurred between angles. RESULTS: Most of the isokinetic variables showed moderate to high intraclass reliability (ICC). Two of the calculated isokinetic variables (work fatigue at 180 degrees /s for extension and for flexion) showed low intraclass reliability (ICC=0.78, resp. ICC=0.6). All calculated ICC values of the isometric variables were moderate to high. CONCLUSIONS: Test-retest reliability of isokinetic and isometric leg strength was high, allowing the intervention protocol to monitor changes in leg strength and joint function among those exhibiting symptoms of mild osteoarthritis.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1989

Measuring severity of illness: a comparison of interrater reliability among severity methodologies.

Methods for measuring illness severity are receiving increasing attention from payers, purchasers, and others interested in the equity and financial incentives of prospective payment systems, as well as from those concerned with the use of mortality rates and other outcomes to measure quality of care. Several methodologies have been proposed for measuring the severity of illness of patients admitted to hospitals. When choosing among the available measures, one characteristic of interest is reliability. In this paper, we present a comparative evaluation of interrater reliability among four severity measures--APACHE II, MedisGroups, Patient Management Categories (PMCs), and Disease Staging Q-Scale--as well as for the Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) classification system. The results show APACHE II, MedisGroups, and DRGs to be highly reliable, with Inter-Rater Reliability Coefficient (RI) values greater than .8. PMCs and Disease Staging Q-Scale were able to achieve fair-to-good levels of reliability. Results are consistent regardless of which reliability statistics are used.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reliability of self-reported sexual behavior risk factors for HIV infection in homosexual men.

This study was undertaken to determine the reliability of self-reported sexual behavior using the test and retest technique when used with self-reported sexual behavior. The subjects were 116 asymptomatic homosexual men who participated in another study (an examination of behavioral and demographic determinants of HIV antibody status). The subjects were asked to complete two questionnaires. The first contained demographic and sexual behavior questions. The second, administered an average of 6 weeks later, used a subset of the questions in the first questionnaire. The reliability of the test-retest procedure was measured by the Kappa statistic, which assesses the proportion of agreement between two data items, accounting for the amount of agreement expected by chance. The highest degree of reliability as measured by Kappa was found with demographic information, smoking history, and sexual orientation. Self-reported sexual behaviors for the previous 6 months generally had the next highest degree of reliability as measured by Kappa. Questions examining change over the previous 5 years had the lowest reliability. Behavior changes during the time between questionnaires, subjectivity of the answer categories, and social desirability of the answers are three factors that may result in a lack of reliability in this self-reported sexual behavior questionnaire. This raises methodological concerns about the measurement of behavioral risk factors for AIDS and the ability to assess meaningfully subjective reports of behavioral change.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1987

Inter- and intra-examiner reliability of the upper cervical X-ray marking system: a second look.

To determine the degree of reliability (stability over time) for six Pettibon practitioners, the scores resulting from the reading and re-reading of 30 X rays were analyzed using bivariate scattergrams, Pearson Product-moment correlation coefficient estimates and correlated samples t tests. To examine reliability (equivalence over experts) across the practitioners, a repeated measures analysis of variance approach was used. Liberal and conservative reliability coefficients for the upper angle and lower angle were computed. Examination of the data suggest that the reliability (stability over time) for the practitioners is very good. The data on reliability (equivalence over experts) across the practitioners also suggests reliability is very good.

Cervical Vertebrae↗
PubMed1987

Reliability of provocative tests of motion sickness susceptibility.

Accurate prediction of space motion sickness is dependent, in part, upon the reliability of terrestrial-based motion sickness susceptibility tests. In the present study, test-retest reliability values were derived from motion sickness susceptibility scores obtained from two successive exposures to each of three tests: 1) Coriolis Sickness Sensitivity Index (CSSI); 2) Staircase Velocity Movement Test (SVMT); and 3) Parabolic Flight Static Chair Test (PSCT). The reliability of the three tests ranged from 0.70 to 0.88. Normalizing values from predictors with skewed distributions improved the reliability. The apparent inconsistency between our finding of high reliability of predictive tests, and previous reports of low correlations between ground-based predictors and space motion sickness may be due to unreliability in assessment of the sickness criterion. Issues of reliability and validity of predictor and criterion measures, and their implications for future development of ground-based predictive tests are discussed in some detail.

Acceleration↗