Reliability of the EK Scale, a Functional Test for Non-ambulatory Persons with Duchenne Dystrophy

Abstract

The EK {Egen Klassifikation} scale was developed to assess overall functional ability in the non-ambulatory stage of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of the EK scale. Six subjects with DMD, selected as representative of the entire range of functional ability seen in the nonambulatory phase of the disease, were video recorded and assessed using the EK scale. The assessment required both interview and performance of functional activities. The video records were shown to 17 healthcare professionals comprising seven three physiotherapy students, four occupational therapists, two social workers and one physician. They viewed and assessed the video recordings. Seven of the professionals repeated the assessments after 6-8 weeks. Intra-class correlation coefficients determined for both inter- and intra-rater reliability were 0.98. The standard deviation of individual estimates of EK sum was 0.95 when physiotherapists, an assessment was repeated by different evaluators on the same subject and 0.78 when repeated by the same evaluator. Weighted kappa values for individual categories ranged from 0.67 to 0.94. The EK scale was found to be highly reliable when used by healthcare professionals assessing the subjects from videotapes.

• Assessment
• Functional Ability
• Healthcare Professionals
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Reliability
• Videotapes