Assessments of interrater reliability and internal consistency of the Norwegian version of the Berg Balance Scale.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the interrater reliability and the internal consistency of the Norwegian version of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) when applied to patients in a geriatric department.

DESIGN

Interrater reliability was measured using the kappa statistics and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).

SETTING

Geriatric rehabilitation unit and geriatric day hospital in Norway.

PARTICIPANTS

Eighty-three patients were included; 25 were inpatients in a geriatric rehabilitation unit, whereas 58 were admitted to a geriatric day hospital.

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The BBS.

RESULTS

The kappa values for the different BBS items varied from 0.83 to 1.00, and the ICC for the sum score of the BBS was .998 (95% confidence interval, .996-.999). The mean value of the BBS was 44.4. There was a negative significant relation between age and the sum score (r=-.36). The sum scores of BBS ranged from 12 to 56. The patients were able to perform the BBS without ceiling effect. The score values 3 and 4 were more frequently used than the score values 0, 1, and 2.

CONCLUSIONS

The Norwegian version of the BBS seems to have an excellent interrater reliability and high internal consistency when applied to patients in geriatric rehabilitation.