Assessing the Streamlined Wolf Motor Function Test as an Outcome Measure for Stroke Rehabilitation

The only valid outcome measure is one question: 'Are you 100% recovered?'  If your stroke hospital is not measuring that they are completely incompetent.

Assessing the Streamlined Wolf Motor Function Test as an Outcome Measure for Stroke Rehabilitation

 2011, Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
 Ching-yi Wu, ScD 1, 

Tiffany Fu, PhD 2, 

Keh-chung Lin, ScD 2,3, 

Chi-tzu Feng 4, 

Kuang-ping Hsieh 5, 

Hung-wen Yu 6, 

Chia-huang Lin 7, 

Ching-ju Hsieh, MD 8, 

and Hisaaki Ota, PhD 9

Abstract

Objective
 This study investigates the clinimetric properties of the streamlined Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), a 6-item version of the performance time scale of the WMFT.
 Methods
The streamlined WMFT, along with 2 criterion measures, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS), were administered to 64 stroke patients before and after a 3-week intervention. Responsiveness was examined using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and standardized response mean (SRM). Criterion-related validity was investigated using the Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ).
 
Results.
 The mean score on the baseline FMA upper extremity of the patients was 44.84 (standard deviation
= 12.77). The streamlined WMFT and the original performance time scale showed comparable responsiveness (SRM= 0.29 and 0.37, respectively). The concurrent validity of the streamlined WMFT was good (ρ= 0.57-0.69). For predictive validity, the streamlined WMFT showed slightly better association with the criterion measures (ρ= 0.60-0.68) than did the original scale (ρ= 0.56-0.64).
Conclusions
 Compared with the original scale, the streamlined WMFT showed improved clinical utility.