Reliability of the diagnosis of impairments in survey research in the field of chiropody.
Chiropody is a rather unknown paramedical profession in The Netherlands. A chiropodist treats foot and nail problems or postural deviations which may be corrected by means of remedial foot therapy. There is no history of scientific research on chiropody. A necessary first step is a survey on professional practice, diagnosis and treatment. A requirement for a survey study is a reliable registration form. In this study a registration form that draws on the conceptual framework of the ICIDH (International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps) was tested on inter-observer reliability. A chiropodist and a trainee examined 49 patients. Reliability was determined using two measures: the percentage of agreement and Cohen's Kappa. Findings of this study indicate that the reliability of the registration form for the assessment of the chiropody diagnosis is satisfactory.
Van Gisbergen
M J
MJ
Netherlands Institute for Primary Health Care, Utrecht.
Dekker
J
J
Zuijderduin
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D005530:Foot Deformities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015588:Observer Variation; D011032:Podiatry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012106:Research