Abstract
Study design
Multicentric psychometric study.
Objectives
The aim of this study is to introduce the development of the Sitting Balance Assessment for Spinal Cord Injury (SitBASCI) and assess its inter-rater reliability and internal consistency.
Setting
The study was developed among the three Spinal Units of San Bortolo Hospital in Vicenza, Niguarda Hospital in Milan and AOU Careggi in Florence.
Methods
SitBASCI is a 13-item scale developed to evaluate trunk control in individuals with SCI. Subjects were filmed while performing the 13 items of the scale. The videotapes were submitted to 25 examiners who evaluated patients’ performances with the scale. The power of the study was estimated. The interclass correlational coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the inter–rater reliability of the examiner’s evaluations regarding each item and the total. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess internal consistency of the scale and internal consistency of the scale on the eliminated item.
Results
The study showed to have a significant power. The inter-rater reliability for the total score was ptot = 0.997 (item’s values were p = 0.876–0.998). The internal consistency of the scale was alpha = 0.925, while the internal consistency of the scale on the eliminated item was alpha = 0.912–0.930.
Conclusion
SitBASCI had a high inter-rater reliability and internal consistency. Items had also good inter-rater reliability and item-total correlation. Therefore, SitBASCI could be proposed as a good and reliable instrument for Italian clinicians to evaluate sitting balance and trunk control in patient with SCI despite of aetiology and level of injury.
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Data availability
The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Change history
18 July 2022
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-022-00838-2
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Research project—conception: TB, PA and BB; organization: PA, TB and BB; execution: PA, EG, AG and FC. Statistical analysis—design: AG, PA, AG and FC; execution: AG; review and critique: MS and GB. Manuscript—writing of the first draft: AG and TB; review and critique: GS and TB.
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Authors certify that all applicable institutional and government regulations concerning the ethical use of human volunteers were followed during the course of this research. All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008. Informed consent was obtained from all partecipants for being included in the study. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained by San Bortolo Hospital (IEC USLL 8 Berica).
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Guizzardi, A., Artuso, P., Bianconi, T. et al. Development and validation of the sitting balance assessment for spinal cord injury (SitBASCI). Spinal Cord 60, 826–830 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-022-00799-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-022-00799-6
