title: Reliability of the hierarchical assessment of balance and mobility in frail older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the test-retest and interrater reliability of the Hierarchical Assessment of Balance and Mobility (HABAM) in frail older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Convenience sample of 167 frail older adults seen as part of routine care by an academic geriatrician at a tertiary care teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inpatient medical and geriatric wards, geriatric ambulatory care clinic, emergency department, home visits.
  
  
  METHODS
  The interrater reliability sample consisted of 98 inpatients and 69 outpatients. The test-retest reliability sample tracked 63 of the inpatients over the first 2 days of their hospital stay.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mobility and balance were assessed using the HABAM. Frailty was assessed using a frailty index based on a standardized Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment. Reliability was assessed using Pearson correlations and the intraclass correlation coefficients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The interrater reliability of the HABAM was 0.92 and ranged from 0.88 to 0.96 across settings for the various components (balance, transfers, mobility). Test-retest reliability was 0.91 (range 0.85-0.92).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HABAM appears to be a reliable means of assessing mobility and balance in frail older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Geriatric Medicine Research Unit, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Kenneth.Rockwood@dal.ca
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rockwood
authors.forename: Michael R H
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rockwood
authors.forename: Melissa K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitnitski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D015588:Observer Variation; D004856:Postural Balance; D015203:Reproducibility of Results