title: Measuring physical impairment and disability with the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment measures the physical impairments and disabilities that impact on the lives of individuals with stroke. This measure has three overall purposes: 1) to stage motor recovery to classify individuals in terms of clinical characteristics, 2) to predict rehabilitation outcomes, and 3) to measure clinically important change in physical function. This study was carried out to evaluate the ability of this measure to yield reliable and valid results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two subjects from a stroke rehabilitation treatment unit were assessed by research and treating physical therapists using multiple measures on multiple occasions. The measure's three purposes dictated the study objectives and design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intrarater, interrater, and test-retest reliabilities of the impairment and disability inventories were estimated. Reliability coefficients for the total scores ranged from 0.97 to 0.99. Construct and concurrent validities were studied by examining the correlations between this and other measures. A priori hypothetical constructs stated that these correlations should exceed 0.60. These constructs were confirmed; the impairment inventory total score was found to correlate with the Fugl-Meyer Test (r = 0.95, p < 0.001) and the disability inventory with the Functional Independence Measure (r = 0.79, p < 0.05). Additional study hypotheses were also substantiated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment yields both reliable and valid results. With the evaluation study now completed, the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment can be used with confidence as both a clinical and a research tool that can discriminate among subjects and evaluate patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: School of Occupational and Physical Therapy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gowland
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stratford
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moreland
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Torresin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Hullenaar
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sanford
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barreca
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vanspall
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Plews
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance; D011187:Posture