Development of a Comprehensive Outcome Measure for Motor Coordination, Step 2: Reliability and Construct Validity in Chronic Stroke Patients

Background A comprehensive scale assessing motor coordination of multiple body segments was developed using a 3-phase content validation process. The Comprehensive Coordination Scale (CCS) evaluates motor coordination defined as the ability to produce context-dependent movements of multiple effectors in both spatial and temporal domains. The scale assesses motor coordination in individuals with neurological injuries at 2 levels of movement description: the motor performance level describes end point movements (ie, hand, foot), and the movement quality level describes limb joints/trunk movements contributing to end point movement. Objective To determine measurement properties of the scale in people with chronic stroke. Methods Standardized approaches determined the internal consistency (factor loadings), intrarater and interrater reliability (interclass correlation coefficient), measurement error (SEM; minimal detectable change {[}MDC]), construct validity, and interpretability (ie, ceiling and floor effects) of the CCS. Results Data from 30 patients with chronic stroke were used for the analysis. The internal consistency of the scale was high (0.94), and the scale consisted of separate factors characterizing end point motor performance and movement quality. Intrarater (intraclass correlation coefficient {[}ICC] = 0.97-0.97) and interrater (ICC=0.76-0.98) reliability of the whole scale and subscales were good to excellent. The CCS had an SEM of 1.80 points (total score = 69 points) and an MDC95 of 4.98 points. The CCS total score was related to Fugl-Meyer Assessment total and motor scores and had no ceiling or floor effects. Conclusions The CCS scale has strong measurement properties and may be a useful measure of spatial and temporal coordination deficits in chronic stroke survivors. (AU)