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.
Netherlands Institute for Primary Health Care, Utrecht.
M J
MJ
Van Gisbergen
J
J
Dekker
W
W
Zuijderduin
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