Generalisability of the Barthel Index and the Functional Independence Measure: robustness of disability measures to Differential Item Functioning.

Purpose: Differential Item Functioning (DIF), an item malfunctioning, causes Differential Test Functioning (DTF), thus biasing questionnaire measures. The current study evaluates the relationship between DIF and DTF for the Barthel Index and the Functional Independence Measure, likely the most used disability measures. The aim is to understand under which conditions DIF can be ignored as its DTF is negligible.

In Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Head Repositioning Errors Suggest Impaired Cervical Proprioception.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a rare multisystemic genetic disorder with motor hallmarks of myotonia, muscle weakness and wasting. DM1 patients have an increased risk of falling of multifactorial origin, and proprioceptive and vestibular deficits can contribute to this risk. Abnormalities of muscle spindles in DM1 have been known for years.

Italian translation and cultural adaptation of the Agitated Behavior Scale (ABS-I) in patients with acquired brain injuries.

Objective: The objective of this study was to produce a cross-cultural adaptation in Italian of the Agitated Behavior Scale (ABS), originally developed in English, as the first of two stages that also include cross-cultural validation and allow a clinical scale to be used in the proper setting such as rehabilitation units.

Methods: In order to adapt the ABS scale to a different cultural environment, five consecutive steps were performed: (1) forward translations (n = 8), (2) synthesis of the 8 forward translations to obtain a first shared italian version (ABS_I_trial), (3) back translations (n = 3), (4) creation of an expert committee to evaluate forward and back translations and finally (5) the cognitive debriefing.

Results: After the five steps, including forward translations and back translations, the process of committee verification and judgement and the evaluative step of cognitive debriefing, high comprehensibility of all items was found, resulting in an Italian translation version of ABS suitable for application in a clinical setting.

Minimal detectable change of gait and balance measures in older neurological patients: estimating the standard error of the measurement from before-after rehabilitation data thanks to the linear mixed-effects models.

Background: Tracking gait and balance impairment in time is paramount in the care of older neurological patients. The Minimal Detectable Change (MDC), built upon the Standard Error of the Measurement (SEM), is the smallest modification of a measure exceeding the measurement error. Here, a novel method based on linear mixed-effects models (LMMs) is applied to estimate the standard error of the measurement from data collected before and after rehabilitation and calculate the MDC of gait and balance measures.