Inter-rater reliability study of the modified Oxford Grading Scale and the Peritron manometer
Abstract Objective To evaluate the inter-rater reliability of the modified Oxford Grading Scale and the Peritron manometer. Design All participants were evaluated twice, first by one examiner and 30 days later by a second examiner. Measurements of vaginal squeeze pressure were compared with the resu...
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Published in | Physiotherapy Vol. 97; no. 2; pp. 132 - 138 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Elsevier Ltd
01.06.2011
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Abstract Objective To evaluate the inter-rater reliability of the modified Oxford Grading Scale and the Peritron manometer. Design All participants were evaluated twice, first by one examiner and 30 days later by a second examiner. Measurements of vaginal squeeze pressure were compared with the results from the palpation test. Participants Nineteen women with a mean age of 23.7 years (range 21 to 28 years). Results Inter-rater reliability for vaginal palpation was fair ( κ = 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.09 to 0.57). Using the Peritron manometer, the difference between examiners was less than 10 cmH2 O in 11 of the 19 (58%) cases. The palpation test did not differentiate between weak, moderate, good and strong muscle contractions. This study found fair inter-rater reliability for the modified Oxford Grading Scale and moderate inter-rater reliability for the Peritron manometer. Conclusions The inter-rater reliability of vaginal squeeze pressure measurement using the Peritron manometer is acceptable and can be used in re-evaluations performed by different examiners in clinical practice. However, for research purposes, the ideal situation would be for a single examiner to assess and re-assess the subject. Vaginal palpation is important in the clinical assessment of correctness of a pelvic floor muscle contraction, but this study does not support the use of the modified Oxford Grading Scale as a reliable and valid method to measure and differentiate pelvic floor muscle strength. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 |
ISSN: | 0031-9406 1873-1465 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.physio.2010.06.007 |