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Interobserver reliability between neurologists in training of Parkinson's disease rating scales. A multicenter study
Author(s) -
Geminiani Giuliano,
Cesana Bruno M.,
Tamma Filippo,
Contri Patrizia,
Pacchetti Claudio,
Carella Francesco,
Piolti Roberto,
Martigi Emilia,
Giovannini Paolo,
Girotti Floriano,
Caraceni Tommaso
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
movement disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.352
H-Index - 198
eISSN - 1531-8257
pISSN - 0885-3185
DOI - 10.1002/mds.870060411
Subject(s) - rating scale , parkinson's disease , multicenter study , medicine , reliability (semiconductor) , neurology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychology , disease , psychiatry , randomized controlled trial , developmental psychology , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics
A multicenter study has been conducted to determine the interobserver reproducibility of four of the most frequently used rating scales for Parkinson's disease: the Columbia University Rating Scale (CURS) and the Webster Rating Scale (WRS), both for assessing clinical signs; the Northwestern University Disability Scale (NUDS); and the Hoehn and Y ahr staging. Four resident neurologists, inexperienced in the use of the four scales, independently examined 48 parkinsonian patients. The extent to which their assessments agreed was determined by calculating the Cohen k index after the scores had been recodified. The physicians' scores agreed substantially for the CURS and the Hoehn and Y ahr scale, while those for the NUDS and the WRS agreed only moderately. Analysis of individual item scores within the scales suggests improvements that would offer greater interobserver consistency.