Is Outdoor Use of the Six-Minute Walk Test With a Global Positioning System in Stroke Patients’ Own Neighbourhoods Reproducible and Valid?
By Wevers, Lotte E.G.; Kwakkel, Gert; van de Port, Ingrid G.L.; Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, Volume 43, Number 11, pages 1027-1030Publication Date: November 2011
Study examined the reproducibility, responsiveness, and concurrent validity of the six minute walk test (6MWT) when tested outdoors in patients’ own neighborhoods using a global positioning system (GPS) or a measuring wheel (MW). The 6MWT is a one-dimensional measure that assesses walking endurance when used with a standard protocol. Participants were 27 chronic stroke patients with a mean age of 60 years who had been discharged to their own homes, 6 of whom were women. Participants were tested twice within 5 consecutive days. Appropriate courses such as a flat pavement without cross streets were selected in participants’ neighborhoods using Google Earth. The 6MWT was conducted using a GPS and a manual MW simultaneously to determine walking distance. Reproducibility was determined as test-retest reliability and agreement, using the intraclass correlation coefficient, standard error of measurement, and Bland & Altman plots. Responsiveness was expressed as the smallest real difference and visualized in Bland & Altman plots. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to study concurrent validity between the GPS and MW. Intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.96 for the GPS and 0.98 for the MW, and standard error of measurement scores were 11.9 meters for the MW and 18.1 meters for the GPS, resulting in smallest real differences of 33.0 meters and 50.2 meters, respectively. Concurrent validity was strong. Study results suggest that therapists working in the community can use the outdoor 6MWT with a GPS or MW as a reliable, responsive, and valid test.
Published by: Foundation for Rehabilitation Information (Website:http://www.medicaljournals.se/jrm/foundation/)
Link to text: http://www.medicaljournals.se/jrm/content/?doi=10.2340/16501977-0881&html=1
