Reliability and Validity of the Persian Version of the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test in Patients with Stroke.

BACKGROUND

Stroke can cause balance disorders, which often lead to falls and fall-related injuries. The Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) is a balance test that has been recently translated into Persian. The reliability and validity of the Persian version of Mini-BESTest have not been assessed in patients with stroke.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Mini-BESTest in patients with stroke.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was designed. Thirty patients with stroke participated in this study. Patients were tested using the Mini-BESTest according to the Persian instructions, and two raters independently rated each patient's performance. Each patient was matched with a healthy adult in the terms of age and gender. Healthy subjects were also tested for discriminative validity.

RESULTS

There was excellent correlation between two raters on the Persian version of the Mini-BESTest total scores (r = 0.98, P < 0.001) and its sections (r > 0.9). There was a significant difference between stroke patients and healthy subjects confirming the discriminative validity of the Persian version of the Mini-BESTest (19.4 ± 5.4 vs. 24.8 ± 2.3, P < 0.001).

LIMITATIONS

We only assessed stroke patients, and the results may not be generalized to other patients with balance deficits.

CONCLUSIONS

The Persian version of the Mini-BESTest is a reliable and valid tool for balance evaluation of stroke patients.