This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Prosser, L. Articles by Canby, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Prosser, L. Articles by Canby, A. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Further validation of the Elderly Mobility Scale for measurement of mobility of hospitalized elderly people

Physiotherapy Department, Bristol General Hospital, United Bristol Healthcare Trust, Bristol

Anne Canby

Physiotherapy Department, Bristol General Hospital, United Bristol Healthcare Trust, Bristol

Objective: To further assess the validity and inter-rater reliability of the Elderly Mobility Scale (EMS). Also whether the scale reflects elderly people's perceptions regarding their mobility, and whether it can predict discharge destination, or likelihood of falling.

Design: Questionnaire-based study completed on admission and weekly after this on all patients referred to physiotherapy for mobility problems over the course of one month.

Setting: Care of the elderly wards in the Bristol General Hospital.

Subjects: Sixty-six patients (ages 66-69 years, 66% female) were included in the validity study. Nineteen patients (ages 71-95 years, 47% female) were included in the inter-rater reliability study.

Interventions: EMS, Barthel and patients' perceptions of mobility were tested with routine physiotherapy treatment carried out as necessary.

Main outcome measures: Concurrent validity was assessed by correlating EMS scores with Barthel scores using Spearman's test. Inter-rater reliability was also tested using a Spearman's correlation. EMS scores of patients were also evaluated in conjunction with whether or not they fell and their destination on discharge.

Results: A significant correlation between EMS and Barthel scores indicated concurrent validity. Inter-rater reliability was demonstrated on 19 patients with a significant correlation between scores. No predictive validity could be ascribed to EMS in terms of discharge destination or likelihood of falling. Results do indicate a possible predictive validity of the functional reach component of the EMS regarding the risk of future falls.

Conclusions: The EMS was found to be a valid scale with good inter-rater reliability that could be readily applied during daily clinical work. However, it was found to have no predictive validity in terms of falling or discharge destination.

Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 11, No. 4, 338-343 (1997)
DOI: 10.1177/026921559701100412


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. F.W. Ng, R. K.Y. Tong, and L. S.W. Li A Pilot Study of Randomized Clinical Controlled Trial of Gait Training in Subacute Stroke Patients With Partial Body-Weight Support Electromechanical Gait Trainer and Functional Electrical Stimulation: Six-Month Follow-Up Stroke, January 1, 2008; 39(1): 154 - 160. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. S. W. Yu, C. C. H. Chan, and R. K. M. Tsim Usefulness of the Elderly Mobility Scale for classifying residential placements Clinical Rehabilitation, December 1, 2007; 21(12): 1114 - 1120. [Abstract] [PDF]

				T. P. Haines, K. Hill, W. Walsh, and R. Osborne Design-Related Bias in Hospital Fall Risk Screening Tool Predictive Accuracy Evaluations: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., June 1, 2007; 62(6): 664 - 672. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Scott, K. Votova, A. Scanlan, and J. Close Multifactorial and functional mobility assessment tools for fall risk among older adults in community, home-support, long-term and acute care settings Age Ageing, March 1, 2007; 36(2): 130 - 139. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Linder, L. Winkvist, L. Nilsson, and N. Sernert Evaluation of the Swedish version of the Modified Elderly Mobility Scale (Swe M-EMS) in patients with acute stroke Clinical Rehabilitation, July 1, 2006; 20(7): 584 - 597. [Abstract] [PDF]

				E. G Spilg, B. J Martin, S. L Mitchell, and T. C Aitchison Falls risk following discharge from a geriatric day hospital Clinical Rehabilitation, March 1, 2003; 17(3): 334 - 340. [Abstract] [PDF]

				E. G Spilg, B. J Martin, S. L Mitchell, and T. C Aitchison A comparison of mobility assessments in a geriatric day hospital Clinical Rehabilitation, March 1, 2001; 15(3): 296 - 300. [Abstract] [PDF]