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Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the clinimetric properties of the AMC Linear Disability Score (ALDS), a new generic disability measure based on Item Response Theory, in patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson disease (PD).
Methods: A sample of 132 patients with PD was evaluated using the Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y), the Unified PD Rating Scale motor examination, the Schwab and England scale (S&E), the Short Form–36, the PD Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the ALDS.
Results: The internal consistency reliability of the ALDS was good (α = 0.95) with 55 items extending the sufficient item-total correlation criterion (r > 0.20). The ALDS was correlated with other disability measures (r = 0.50 to 0.63) and decreasingly associated with measures reflecting impairments (r = 0.36 to 0.37) and mental health (r = 0.23 to −0.01). With regard to know-group validity, the ALDS indicated that patients with more severe PD (H&Y stage 3) were more disabled than patients with mild (H&Y stage 1) or moderate PD (H&Y stage 2) (p < 0.0001). The ALDS discriminated between more or less severe extrapyramidal symptoms (p = 0.001) and patients with postural instability showed lower ALDS scores compared to patients without postural instability (p = < 0.0001). Compared to the S&E (score 100% = 19%), the ALDS showed less of a ceiling effect (5%).
Conclusion: The AMC Linear Disability Score is a flexible, feasible, and clinimetrically promising instrument to assess the level of disability in patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson disease.
Glossary
- ADL=
- activities of daily living;
- ALDS=
- AMC Linear Disability Score;
- ANOVA=
- analysis of variance;
- H&Y=
- Hoehn and Yahr;
- IRT=
- item response theory;
- PD=
- Parkinson disease;
- PDQL=
- PD Quality of Life Questionnaire;
- S&E=
- Schwab and England scale;
- SF=
- Short Form;
- UPDRS=
- Unified PD Rating Scale.
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