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Interrater reliability of diagnosing complex regional pain syndrome type I
Author(s) -
Perez R. S. G. M.,
Burm P. E. T.,
Zuurmond W. W. A.,
Giezeman M. J. M. M.,
Van Dasselaar N. T.,
Vranken J.,
De Lange J. J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1034/j.1399-6576.2002.460420.x
Subject(s) - inter rater reliability , complex regional pain syndrome , medicine , kappa , physical therapy , reliability (semiconductor) , cohen's kappa , population , severity of illness , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychology , rating scale , statistics , developmental psychology , linguistics , philosophy , power (physics) , physics , mathematics , environmental health , quantum mechanics
Background: Diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I) is based on clinical observation of symptoms. As little information is available on the reliability of CRPS I diagnosis, we evaluated the agreement between therapists with regard to the presence and severity of CRPS I and its symptoms. Methods: The interrater reliability was evaluated in 37 presumed CRPS I patients by three observers; one consultant anesthesiologist and two resident anesthesiologists. Patients were assessed on the basis of Veldman's CRPS criteria. Results: The interrater reliability for diagnosing CRPS I was good for the majority of observer combinations. The percentage of agreement for the absence or presence of CRPS I was good (88%−100%). Cohen's Kappa's ranged from 0.60 to 0.86. The agreement for the mean symptom score ranged from 70.2% to 88.6%; Kappa's were lower and showed more variation. Interrater reliability for assessment of the severity of CRPS I and its symptoms was poor. Factors influencing the interrater reliability were symptom type, individual observers and sample population. Conclusion: Diagnosing CRPS I can be performed on the basis of clinical observation. Further assessment of severity of CRPS I and its symptoms should be performed with reliable and valid measurement instruments.