A contribution to assessment in MS. Study of 100 situations of MS persons through Incapacity Status and Environmental Status and their scales scores.

The 1982 IFMSS Incapacity Status and the Environmental Status Scale have been field tested in Switzerland outside a clinical setting. With the cooperation of social workers, 100 persons with MS, with a mean age of 47 y. 7m., participated. Tables give results: for the Incapacity scale, a mean score of 27.1 and standard deviation of 17.3, for the Environment scale, a mean score of 15.7 and s.d. of 7.7. For items Physical Problems, Personal Assistance and Community Health Services, precise lists of categories of people intervening should be given to avoid confusion, get more accurate scores and possible comparisons. Where item-total correlations are low, we wondered how far the related items were comparable or should be reconsidered. There was no inter-rater agreement testing nor reliability control. Final remarks are made for the use of both scales in a Minimum Record of Disability Rating System in Switzerland.