Reliability of the new freezing of gait questionnaire: agreement between patients with Parkinson's disease and their carers.
Freezing of gait (FOG) is difficult to measure due to its unpredictable occurrence. This study investigated: (1) whether the new freezing of gait questionnaire (NFOG-Q) is a reliable measure of freezing by comparing patients' ratings with those of carers' and (2) whether adding a video improved its reliability. Non-demented people with Parkinson's disease (PD) (N=102) and their carers of similar age and cognitive status were recruited from movement disorders clinics in three countries. The NFOG-Q was administered to carers and patients independently before and after watching a video showing several examples of FOG. Patients had very high agreement between their pre- and post-video detection of FOG (Kappa=0.91). However, this was less than in carers (Kappa=0.79). The video had a significant influence (p=0.01) on the rating of FOG severity (duration) but not on the estimation of its functional impact. Post-video freezing severity scores in the 69 freezers showed high agreement with carers' scores (ICC=0.78 [0.65;0.87]). We conclude that the NFOG-Q is a reliable tool to detect and evaluate the impact and severity of FOG. Adding a video does not add to the sensitivity and specificity of FOG detection but influences the estimation of FOG severity.
Nieuwboer
Alice
A
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium. alice.nieuwboer@faber.kuleuven.be
Rochester
Lynn
L
Herman
Talia
T
Vandenberghe
Wim
W
Emil
George Ehab
GE
Thomaes
Tom
T
Giladi
Nir
N
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D017028:Caregivers; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D046352:Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic / Q000502:physiology*; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014741:Video Recording