Inter- and intra-tester reliability of the Balance Performance Monitor in a non-patient population.
OBJECTIVE
There is a growing interest in the measurement and evaluation of balance deficits and a number of instruments for measurement are now available. However, few data exist that accurately describe the reliability when using these measurement tools. This study was designed to evaluate the inter- and intra-tester reliability of using the Balance Performance Monitor (BPM) (SMS Healthcare) in a non-patient population.


METHODS
A total of 58 subjects (mean age 29.83 years (+/- 9.44 years)) and three testers participated in two separate experiments. Intra Class Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of variation were used to describe the reliability of two different protocols for positioning subjects on the footplates of the BPM.


RESULTS
Measurements of weight distribution showed high and significant inter- and intra-tester reliability for both protocols (ICCs ranging from 0.720 to 0.868). Sway measurements showed more limited reliability (ICCs ranging from 0.183 to 0.775). Coefficients of variation were low for weight distribution measurements and high for sway measurements.


CONCLUSIONS
Taking the mean of three measurements is recommended for both the weight distribution and the sway measurements as it has shown to produce acceptable measurement results.
Haas
B M
BM
University of Brighton, UK.
Whitmarsh
T E
TE
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D004856:Postural Balance; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*