Item hierarchy-based analysis of the Rivermead Mobility Index resulted in improved interpretation and enabled faster scoring in patients undergoing rehabilitation after stroke.

Objective: To enable improved interpretation of the total score and faster scoring of the Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI) by studying item ordering or hierarchy and formulating start-and-stop rules in patients after stroke.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Rehabilitation center in the Netherlands; stroke rehabilitation units and the community in the United Kingdom.

The Rivermead Mobility Index allows valid comparisons between subgroups of patients undergoing rehabilitation after stroke who differ with respect to age, sex, or side of lesion.

Objective: To investigate differential item functioning or item bias of the Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI) and its impact on the drawing of valid comparisons with the RMI between subgroups of patients after stroke who differ with respect to age, sex, or side of lesion.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: A rehabilitation center in the Netherlands and 2 stroke rehabilitation units and the wider community in the United Kingdom.

Do physiotherapy staff record treatment time accurately? An observational study.

Objective: To assess the reliability of duration of treatment time measured by physiotherapy staff in early-stage stroke patients.

Design: Comparison of physiotherapy staff's recording of treatment sessions and video recording.

Setting: Rehabilitation stroke unit in a general hospital.

Excellent cross-cultural validity, intra-test reliability and construct validity of the Dutch Rivermead Mobility Index in patients after stroke undergoing rehabilitation.

Objective: To investigate the cross-cultural validity of international Dutch-English comparisons when using the Dutch Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI), and the intra-test reliability and construct validity of the Dutch RMI.

Methods: Cross-cultural validity was studied in a combined data-set of Dutch and English patients undergoing rehabilitation after stroke, who were assessed with the Dutch version of the RMI and the original English RMI, respectively. Mokken scale analysis was used to investigate unidimensionality, monotone homogeneity model fit, and differential item functioning between the Dutch and the English RMI.

A randomized trial evaluation of the Oswestry Standing Frame for patients after stroke.

Background: Standing is believed to have benefits in addressing motor and sensory impairments after stroke. One device to facilitate standing for severely disabled patients is the Oswestry Standing Frame.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Oswestry Standing Frame for severely disabled stroke patients.

The Effects of Patellar Taping on Knee Joint Proprioception.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of patellar taping on knee joint proprioception. DESIGN AND SETTING: In a research unit, 3 proprioceptive tests were performed. For each of the tests, a standardized patellar taping technique was applied in random order.