[Reliability of neurological assessment scales in patients with stroke].
Scales for the assessment of neurological impairment are employed in clinical trials, outcome evaluation and in therapeutic decisions. We evaluated the reliability of the Portuguese version of the Rankin Scale (RS), Barthel Index (BI) and the NIHSS (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale) in 51 stroke patients, estimating the agreement of the results for examiners. The interrater reliability was measured using the Kappa Coefficient and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. The RS showed moderate, substantial and excellent coefficients of agreement. The BI showed from substantial to excellent coefficients of agreement as a whole and also for its constituents. This scale was stratified in prognostic and functional groups, both presenting coefficients of agreement from substantial to excellent. The NIHSS presented excellent agreement on its total and substantial agreements on its individual items. The NIHSS was also stratified in groups of points, which presented moderate or excellent coefficient, and in groups of congruous items, wich showed a moderate to excellent agreement. These results suggest that the Portuguese version of the RS, BI and the NIHSS present adequate reliability.
de Caneda
Marco Aurélio Gralha
MA
Faculdade de Medicina da Pontíficia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (FAMED, PUCRS), and Centro Neurovascular do Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, Brazil. mcaneda@terra.com.br
Fernandes
Jefferson Gomes
JG
de Almeida
Andrea Garcia
AG
Mugnol
Fabiana Eloisa
FE
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis