Interrater Reliability of the Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale in Children with Spina Bifida.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the interrater reliability of the Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale (Peds NRS) to classify motor capacity in children with myelomeningocele (MMC) form of spina bifida.

Methods: Twenty-one children with MMC (1.5–10 years of age) were each scored on the Peds NRS three times: two live testing sessions and one video recorded session. Every child was scored by two physical therapists and one occupational therapist. Interrater reliability was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for individual items and the summary score.

Results: Strong interrater reliability was determined for the overall Peds NRS score (ICC = 0.89; 95% CI, .80-.95). Eleven of 16 individual items exhibited good to excellent reliability (ICC ≥ 0.80). Pediatric clinicians were able to reliably administer and score the Peds NRS on children with MMC, representing a wide range of ages and functional levels.

KEYWORDS:

• Spina bifida
• pediatrics
• reliability
• neuromuscular recovery
• outcome measure

Acknowledgments

This study would not have been possible without the dedication of Christy Fryatt, DPT, and Melissa Clarke, OTR/L. The authors would like to thank the children and families who participated in this study, as well as Laura Waples, DPT, Jessica Crosby, DPT, Emma Tuskey, MOT, Jacob Golembeski, MOT, and Shelby Schultz, DPT for their assistance in data collection.

Disclosure Statement

None of the authors declare a conflict of interest during this study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by an internal grant from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences under Grant BOD2016.