A Screening Tool to Identify Spasticity in Need of Treatment.
Richard D Zorowitz, Theodore H Wein, Kari Dunning and 9 others
PMID 27552355WHAT IT FOUND
Experts and 20 patients with spasticity helped develop a 13-item patient questionnaire.
Most patients completed and interpreted items as intended. It is a screening aid, not a replacement for clinical evaluation.
Key findings
01A 13-item spasticity screening tool was developed through a Delphi expert panel and patient cognitive interviews.
02In the patient interviews, 16 patients completed the 13-item tool and interpreted the items as intended.
03Ten of the 13 items were interpreted as intended by 90% or more of respondents; the remaining 3 were interpreted by 80% or 85%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The patient sample was 20 people, and the target of at least 4 per etiology was not met for MS and stroke, where only 3 patients were recruited for each. The tool was not tested for sensitivity, specificity, or predictive values. The screening tool is completed by patients and does not capture caregiver perspectives. It is not intended to replace comprehensive evaluation and treatment planning. The Delphi panel had 11 experts.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were reported by the authors or by any individuals in control of the content.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the 13-item tool as a validated screening test. The paper says further validation is needed, and the tool is not intended to replace comprehensive evaluation and treatment planning.