Validity, reliability and responsivity of the Royal Brisbane Hospital Outcome Measure for Swallowing

Abstract

One of the main limitations of outcome measures currently in use in many clinical settings is the lack of data to support the reliability and validity of the scales. The present study presents the results of psychometric investigations of the Royal Brisbane Hospital Outcome Measure for Swallowing (RBHOMS), a lO-point scale designed to document changes in swallowing disability. Functional swallowing ability at both hospital admission and discharge was assessed in a group of 285 dysphagic inpatients. Following the clinical bedside examination, all patients were rated using the RBHOMS, the Therapy Outcome Measures (TOM) Dysphagia Disability Scale and the Westmead Outcome Rating Scale. Data from the three measures were compared and contrasted to examine the reliability, validity and responsivity of the RBHOMS. Psychometric analysis of the RBHOMS revealed that the scale is clinically valid and responsive to clinical changes in levels of swallowing disability. In addition inter-rater reliability of the scale was found to be high (r = 0.99). Overall, the psychometric properties of the RBHOMS support that it is a valid clinical tool for documenting functional changes in swallowing disability over time and across different aetiologies.