Inter-rater reliability of the Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory.

BACKGROUND: The Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory (CAHAI) is an assessment of upper limb function designed for use in the stroke population. The CAHAI has strong reliability and validity in this population; however, it is unknown whether this measure can be used with other clinical populations such as acquired brain injury (ABI).

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the inter-rater reliability of the CAHAI when used with persons with ABI.

METHODS: The research design was an observational parameter estimation study. The administration of the CAHAI was videotaped for 6 persons with ABI. To estimate inter-rater reliability each video was assessed independently by 6 clinicians yielding a total of 36 assessments. A Latin square design was used to balance the order raters evaluated the videos. Shrout and Fleiss Type 2,1 intra class correlation coefficients (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM) were calculated to estimate inter-rater reliability of the CAHAI.

RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability was high ICC = 0.96 (95% CL: 0.88, 0.99) and the SEM was 3.35 (95% CL: 2.63, 4.63) CAHAI points.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the CAHAI, although designed for use in the stroke population, can be used reliably in the ABI population.