title: Reliability testing of a new scar assessment tool, Matching Assessment of Scars and Photographs (MAPS).
abstract: A new scar-assessment tool, the Matching Assessment of Scars and Photographs (MAPS), which uses a set of reference photographs, a numeric scale, and location technique, was tested for its reliability in two stages. First, using five adults, three raters assessed 32 burns scars twice within 3 days. Subsequently, reliability was tested during a 6-month time frame, emphasizing the process of localizing test areas as scars changed and raters forgot the previous assessment. Three raters, from a pool of five, each made three assessments on 29 scars in seven subjects, on average 8 weeks apart. Inter-rater reliability was tested, using Kendall's Tau C and intraclass correlations, respectively, for stages 1 and 2. Agreement was good for border height (0.63-0.70 and 0.78), moderate to good for thickness (0.60-0.74 and 0.81), and good for color (0.55-0.71 and 0.79), whereas for surface it was fair (0.25-0.38 and 0.40). The localization technique was reliable (accuracy within 3 mm) in 93% to 96% of recordings. The MAPS tool is considered ready for clinical use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Royal Adelaide Hospital, North Terrace, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Margot
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masters
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Svens
mesh_terms: D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications*; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000145:classification* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010781:Photography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices