Psychometric properties of the modified Emory Functional Ambulation Profile in stroke patients.

Objective: To examine the test-retest reliability, convergent and predictive validity and responsiveness of the modified Emory Functional Ambulation Profile (mEFAP) in assessing gait function in stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation.

Subjects: Forty subacute stroke inpatients were enrolled in the validity and responsiveness study. Twenty chronic patients participated in the reliability study.

Setting: Rehabilitation department of a medical centre.

Design: In the validity and responsiveness study, patients were tested using the mEFAP, 10-m walking speed test, Barthel Index and Rivermead Mobility Index at admission and at discharge. For the reliability study, the patients completed the mEFAP twice one week apart.

Results: The patients' performances on the mEFAP were moderately to highly correlated with results of the 10-m walking speed test and Rivermead Mobility Index (absolute correlation coefficients > or = 0.67), indicating good convergent validity. Patients' performance on the mEFAP at admission was moderately correlated with the Barthel Index and Rivermead Mobility Index scores at discharge (Spearman's rank correlation coefficients = -0.52 and -0.78, respectively), indicating good predictive validity. The standardized response mean of the mEFAP was 1.1 (P < 0.0001), suggesting good responsiveness. The intraclass correlation coefficient ICC(3,1) for the mEFAP was 0.997, indicating excellent test retest reliability.

Conclusions: Our results provide strong evidence that the mEFAP has good reliability, validity and responsiveness for assessing stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation. The mEFAP is a useful scale for measuring walking function and recovery in stroke patients.