Evaluation of intrarater and interrater reliability of the Wisconsin Gait Scale with using the video taped stroke patients in a Turkish sample.

OBJECTIVE

To establish the intrarater and interrater reliability of Wisconsin Gait Scale (WGS) in hemiplegic patients.

DESIGN

Repeated-measures reliability study using video data of stroke patients.

SETTING

Rehabilitation department of the university hospital.

PARTICIPITANTS

Nineteen hemiplegic patients with 3-9 months stroke history and two physiatrists and two physical therapists.

INTERVENTIONS

Video recordings were assessed twice, at an interval of 2 days, by the two physiatrists and two physical therapists.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Wisconsin Gait Scale.

RESULTS

Internal consistency coefficients for the WGS were excellent; Cronbach scores were 0.91 and 0.94 for the first and third days. Coefficient of Repeatability (CR) for observers' WGS assessments were ranged between 4.23-5.76 and intraclass correlation coefficients for total WGS score were indicated very high interrater reliability at the begining and end, respectively 0.91 and 0.96. Intraclass correlation coefficients for fourteen items of WGS ranged from 0.81 to 1. "Hip hiking at mid-swing", "Circumduction at mid-swing" and "Hip extension of the affected leg" were the items with lowest correlation coefficients. Intrarater reliability for total WGS scores ranged from 0.75 to 0.90.

CONCLUSION

WGS was found excellent in reliability and may provide an objective means to document the findings from observational gait analysis, which is frequently used in clinical practice by rehabilitation teams.