Tele-Assessment of the Berg Balance Scale: Effects of Transmission Characteristics.
Kavita Venkataraman, Michelle Morgan, Kristopher A Amis and 4 others
PMID 27894732WHAT IT FOUND
Remote balance assessment works if you use high-definition video with slow motion and capture both frontal and lateral views.
Standard-definition or single-view setups caused significant rating failures, particularly for transfers, standing with eyes closed, feet together, and reaching forward.
Key findings
01Raters were unable to score 37% of standard-definition videos compared to 7% of in-person assessments, but high-definition video with slow motion reduced this failure rate to 18%.
02Using only a single camera view (either frontal or lateral) caused a marked increase in the inability to rate participants, whereas using both views allowed for successful assessment.
03Specific balance items failed most often due to technical limitations: transfers required audio cues, while fine details for standing with eyes closed, feet together, and functional reach were lost at the distance required for whole-body views.
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 study compared video conditions to each other but could not directly compare the reliability of video versus in-person rating for all items due to missing data. Participants were restricted to those who could ambulate without human help, so findings may not apply to patients with severe mobility impairments. The study did not test alternative technologies like depth sensors (Kinect) that might compensate for poor video quality. In-person raters were artificially restricted to the same camera views and distances as the video raters, which does not reflect standard clinical practice where therapists can move freely.
Declared interests
The study was supported by grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institutes of Health. No commercial conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that high-definition video alone guarantees accurate remote assessment. If you lack slow-motion capability or fail to capture both frontal and lateral views, critical items like transfers and standing with eyes closed will likely be unscoreable, leading to an incomplete or inaccurate balance profile.