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Abstract
Recently, a comprehensive clinical balance test, the balance evaluation systems test (BESTest), was developed to identify the postural control systems causing balance impairments. A short version, the mini-BESTest, was thereafter developed by eliminating redundant and insensitive items. This study aimed to translate the mini-BESTest to Swedish, adapt it and investigate its validity in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) or stroke. The Mini-BESTest was translated and back-translated in accordance with Guillemin's guidelines. Discrepancies were discussed and solved by a panel and the test was culturally adapted. Concurrent validity of the final version was explored by correlating well-known clinical tests – the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES(s)) – with the new mini-BESTest in nine subjects with mild-to-moderate PD (60 years, range 46–85) and nine with chronic stroke (78 years, range 66–90). A high-to-very-high correlation was shown between the mini-BESTest and the BBS (PD: rs = 0.94, stroke: rs = 0.86). The mini-BESTest correlated highly with the TUG (PD: rs = −0.81, stroke: rs = −0.89). In the PD group, a low correlation (rs = 0.26) was seen between the mini-BESTest and the FES(s). The mini-BESTest has high concurrent validity and is a comprehensive assessment of balance. However, its psychometric properties should be evaluated further.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the participating subjects, physiotherapists Meta Borgblad and Airi Gustavsson and the Swedish Parkinson Association for assistance in recruiting subjects. We also thank Emma Andersson and Frida Flodström for help with data collection and finally, Dr Fay B Horak for letting us use and translate the mini-BESTest.
Declaration of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. The authors alone are responsible for the contents and the writing of the paper.