title: Simplified modified rankin scale questionnaire: reproducibility over the telephone and validation with quality of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The simplified modified Rankin Scale questionnaire (smRSq) enables a reliable and rapid determination of the modified Rankin Scale score after stroke. We test the reliability and validity of a slightly revised smRSq.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty consecutive outpatients 4.83 ± 3.00 months after stroke were scored with a slightly revised smRSq by 3 raters selected consecutively from a list of 10: 4 stroke faculty, 3 neurology residents, 2 medial students, and 1 stroke research coordinator. Two ratings were in person within 20 minutes of each other and 1 was by telephone 1 to 3 days later. The telephone rating also included a quality of life scale, the Short-Form-12v2. Each rater was blinded to the other raters' scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average estimated time to administer the smRSq was 1.29 minutes (range, 0.50 to 2.25 minutes). The in-person raters agreed 78% (κ=0.71; CI, 0.57 to 0.86 and weighted κ [κ(w)]=0.86; CI, 0.79 to 0.94). The first in-person and telephone raters agreed 82% (κ=0.76; CI, 0.63 to 0.90 and κ(w)=0.87; CI, 0.79 to 0.95). The second in-person and telephone rates agreed 82% (κ=0.77; CI, 0.63 to 0.90 and κ(w)=0.89; CI, 0.82 to 0.96). The smRSq correlated with the physical (r=-0.50, P=0.005) than the mental (r=-0.36, P=0.048) components of the Short-Form-12v2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The slightly revised smRSq appears to be useful in clinical stroke; it has excellent reliability in person and by telephone, can usually be administered in <1.5 minutes by a wide variety of raters, and correlates with quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA. abruno@georgiahealth.edu
authors.forename: Askiel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Abiodun E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Akinwuntan
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Close
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baute
authors.forename: Tia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aryal
authors.forename: Desiree
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Switzer
authors.forename: Fenwick T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Nichols
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020521:Stroke; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires