Timed Up&Go Test : Reliability in Older People dependent in Activities of Daily Living - Focus on Cognitive State

• Background and Purpose: It is unknown how cognitive impairment affects the reliability of Timed Up&Go Test (TUG). The aim of the present study was to investigate the expected variability of Timed Up&Go in older persons, dependent in activities of daily living (ADL), and with different levels of cognitive state. The hypothesis was that cognitive impairment would increase the variability of TUG scores.Subjects: Seventy-eight persons with multiple impairments, dependent in ADL and living in residential-care facilities were included in this study. The subjects were 84.8±5.7 (mean±SD) years old, and their Mini-mental State Examination score was 18.7±5.6. Methods: TUG assessments were performed on three different days. Intra- and inter rater analyses were carried out. Results: Cognitive impairment was not related to the size of the variability of TUG scores. There was a significant relationship between the variability and the time taken to perform TUG (p<0.001). The intraclass correlation were greater than .90, and were similar within and between raters. In repeated measurements at the individual level, an observed value of 10 seconds was expected to vary from 7 to 15 seconds, and an observed value of 40 seconds was expected to vary from 26 to 61 seconds for 95% of the observations. Discussion and Conclusions: The measurement error of a TUG assessment is substantial for a frail, older person dependent in ADL, regardless of the level of cognitive function, when verbal cuing is permitted during testing. The variability increases with the time to perform TUG. Despite high intraclass correlation coefficients, the ranges of expected variability can be wide and are similar within and between raters. Physical therapists should be aware of this variability before they interpret the TUG score for a particular patient.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Sjukgymnastik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Physiotherapy (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Physiotherapy

Sjukgymnastik

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)