The SCOPA-Motor Scale for assessment of Parkinson's disease is a consistent and valid measure.
OBJECTIVE
The SCOPA-Motor Scale (S-MS) for assessment of Parkinson's disease (PD), contains 21 items in three domains: Motor examination, Disability, and Complications. Our objective was to validate the S-MS Spanish version.


METHODS
This validation study was based on a multicenter, cross-sectional, one-point-in-time evaluation design. The applied measures were: Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-3.0 (UPDRS); S-MS; PD Global Evaluation (PDGE); and Clinical Global Impression of severity (CGI). Completeness of data collection, floor and ceiling effect, internal consistency, precision, and construct and discriminative validity were analyzed in 151 PD patients.


RESULTS
Scores from S-MS were fully computable. Floor effect was high for Complications (43.7%). Cronbach's alpha was > 0.90 for every domain, and item-total correlation was > 0.70 except for Examination. Standard error of measurement (SEM) ranged from 0.40 to 2.4. Convergent validity with corresponding UPDRS sections yielded coefficients > 0.90. Discriminative validity across Hoehn and Yahr (HY) and CGI stages was significant (Kruskal-Wallis, P < .0001). Insofar as internal consistency was concerned, alpha-values of the Examination sections were marginally higher for the UPDRS than for the S-MS (a finding perhaps accounted for by redundancy in this part of the UPDRS).


CONCLUSIONS
The S-MS is a consistent and valid scale, shorter by almost half than the UPDRS.
Martínez-Martín
Pablo
P
National Center for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Public Health, C. Sinesio Delgado, 6, 28029 Madrid, Spain. pmartinez@isciii.es
Benito-León
Julián
J
Burguera
Juan A
JA
Castro
Alfonso
A
Linazasoro
Gurutz
G
Martínez-Castrillo
Juan C
JC
Valldeoriola
Francesc
F
Vázquez
Antonio
A
Vivancos
Francisco
F
del Val
Javier
J
van Blercom
Nadèje
N
Frades
Belén
B
D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index