Department of Health Sciences, Georgia Southern University, Savannah.
Athletic Training Education Program, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff.
J Athl Train. 2018 Jan;53(1):98-103. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-503-16. Epub 2018 Jan 13.
To describe the concepts of measurement reliability and minimal important change.
All measurements have some magnitude of error. Because clinical practice involves measurement, clinicians need to understand measurement reliability. The reliability of an instrument is integral in determining if a change in patient status is meaningful.
Measurement reliability is the extent to which a test result is consistent and free of error. Three perspectives of reliability-relative reliability, systematic bias, and absolute reliability-are often reported. However, absolute reliability statistics, such as the minimal detectable difference, are most relevant to clinicians because they provide an expected error estimate. The minimal important difference is the smallest change in a treatment outcome that the patient would identify as important.
Clinicians should use absolute reliability characteristics, preferably the minimal detectable difference, to determine the extent of error around a patient's measurement. The minimal detectable difference, coupled with an appropriately estimated minimal important difference, can assist the practitioner in identifying clinically meaningful changes in patients.
描述测量可靠性和最小临床重要变化的概念。
所有测量都存在一定程度的误差。由于临床实践涉及测量，因此临床医生需要了解测量可靠性。仪器的可靠性对于确定患者病情的变化是否有意义至关重要。
测量可靠性是指测试结果的一致性和无误差程度。可靠性有三个视角，即相对可靠性、系统偏差和绝对可靠性，通常会报告这三个视角。然而，绝对可靠性统计数据，如最小可检测差异，与临床医生最相关，因为它们提供了预期的误差估计。最小临床重要变化是患者认为重要的治疗结果的最小变化。
临床医生应使用绝对可靠性特征，最好是最小可检测差异，来确定患者测量值周围的误差程度。最小可检测差异加上适当估计的最小临床重要变化，可以帮助医生识别患者病情的临床有意义变化。
