Development of a Walking Safety Scale for Older Adults, Part I: Content Validity of the GEM Scale.
OBJECTIVE
The Grille d'évaluation de la sécurité à la marche (GEM scale) is a performance-based tool developed to fill the need for an objective assessment of walking safety for older adults. It underwent a three-phase process of content validation.


METHODS
A mailed questionnaire was used to assess the representativeness of the walking items (5-point pertinence scale). Subsequently, two physiotherapist focus groups (n = 20) were held to further evaluate the relevance of the scale and the walking items. Finally, a pilot study was completed with 3 raters administering the GEM scale to 12 hospitalized patients.


RESULTS
Comments and descriptive statistics (percentages) were analyzed from the questionnaire results and focus groups. On completion of the pilot study, which assessed 12 patients on the GEM scale, additional analyses were performed to address the theoretical background, the administration manual, the walking items, the scoring scale, and interpretation of the scale. Following each step, modifications were made to reflect the results of the analyses.


CONCLUSIONS
The three-phase content-validation process demonstrated the relevance of this instrument and its representativeness as a walking safety assessment tool for older adults.
Christine Kaegi, PT: Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec.
Christine
C
Kaegi
Renée
R
Boudreault
Jacqueline
J
Rousseau
Daniel
D
Bourbonnais
Sylvie
S
Nadeau
François
F
Dubé