A Hybrid Assessment of Clinical Mobility Test Items for Evaluating Individuals With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
Peter C Fino, Patrick G Michielutti, Ryan Pelo and 6 others
PMID 36538333WHAT IT FOUND
A four-item mobility test combining parts of two existing batteries identified persistent mild traumatic brain injury symptoms with the same accuracy as the full tests.
It takes less than half the time, reducing patient fatigue and clinic burden without losing diagnostic utility.
Key findings
01The hybrid four-item test achieved an area under the curve of 0.71 to 0.73, comparable to the full Functional Gait Assessment (0.68) and High Level Mobility Assessment Tool (0.66).
02Using standard scoring, a cutoff of 12 points or less resulted in 68% sensitivity and 60% specificity for identifying abnormal function.
03The retained items were Gait with Horizontal Head Turns, Gait with Pivot Turn, Fast Forward Walking, and Fast Backward Walking.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study used a small, single sample (n=110) and did not have a separate validation group. The hybrid test showed ceiling effects, meaning it may miss subtle deficits in high-functioning patients who score perfectly. The four items were selected from existing batteries; a test built from scratch might be more sensitive. Results require replication before the tool is recommended for routine clinical implementation.
Declared interests
None reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use this test to rule out mTBI. With 68% sensitivity, it misses nearly one-third of symptomatic individuals, and ceiling effects mean high-functioning patients may score normally despite persistent symptoms.