Clinical Epidemiology - Cabrini

How reliably do rheumatologists measure shoulder movement?

Dr Jan Hoving, A/Prof Rachelle Buchbinder, Dr Sally Green, A/Prof Andrew Forbes, Dr Nick Bellamy, Dr Caroline Brand, Dr Russell Buchanan, A/Prof Stephen Hall, Dr Mark Patrick, Dr Peter Ryan, Dr Alex Stockman.

We have previously developed a standardized protocol, which we assessed in a similar population, for the measurement of active range of motion in clinical trials for shoulder pain. The inter and inter-rater reliability of our standardized protocol has been found to be acceptable when physiotherapists performed the range of motion assessments and we concluded that it would be appropriate for use both in research and clinical practice by physiotherapists. The gravity inclinometer, which was used as the measurement tool in this study is fast and easy to use, but has not been evaluated in observers with a different professional background.

To determine whether our protocol may also be of value when rheumatologists perform the measurements, the aim of this study was to examine the inter-rater reliability (that is reliability when performed by multiple raters) and intra-rater reliability (that is reliability when performed again and again by the same rater or examiner) of the standardized protocol when performed by six rheumatologists.

Publications arising from this study:

Hoving J, Buchbinder R, Green S, Forbes A, Bellamy N, Brand C, Buchanan R, Hall S, Patrick M, Ryan P, Stockman A. Can rheumatologists reliably measure shoulder movement? Ann Rheum Dis 2002;61:612-16.

Green S, Buchbinder R, Forbes A, Bellamy N. A standardized protocol for measurement of range of movement of the shoulder using the Plurimeter-V inclinometer and assessment of its intrarater and interrater reliability. Arthritis Care and Research 1998;11:43-52.