Article

The present study aimed to measure the internal consistency,
inter-rater-reliability and validity of the World Health Organisation Disability
Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II) for its application to stroke patients and
their closest others. METHOD: Patients were assessed 6 months and 1 year after
stroke with the self- and proxy-rating versions of the WHODAS II. The modified
Rankin Scale (mRS) as well as patients' statements about 'Recovery' and
'Independence' were used as measurements for validity. Patients' statements
concerning individual restrictions and limitations were compared with the WHODAS
II items. RESULTS: Internal consistency can be regarded as good to excellent,
inter-rater-reliability as satisfactory to good. Item reliability ranged from
insufficient to good, the percentage of agreements was below 80%. WHODAS II scale
scores of patients with an mRS score of 0 as well as of recovered and independent
patients differed significantly from others. Correlation coefficients between
WHODAS II Scales and validation measures ranged from fair to high. Correspondence
between stroke related problems and WHODAS II items was good. CONCLUSION: The
WHODAS II is a valid, generally reliable and useful instrument for the assessment
of stroke patients over the first year after stroke.

Langue : ANGLAIS