ABILOCO: a Rasch-built 13-item questionnaire to assess locomotion ability in stroke patients.

Objective: To develop a questionnaire (ABILOCO), based on the Rasch measurement model, that can assess locomotion ability in adult stroke patients (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health activity domain).

Design: Prospective study and questionnaire development.

Setting: A faculty hospital.

Participants: Adult stroke patients (N=100) (age, 64+/-15y). The time since stroke ranged from 1 to 260 weeks.

Intervention: A preliminary questionnaire included 43 items representing a large sample of locomotion activities. This questionnaire was tested on the 100 stroke patients, and their responses were analyzed using the Rasch model (RUMM 2020 software) to select items that had an ordered rating scale and fitted a unidimensional model.

Main Outcome Measure: The ABILOCO questionnaire.

Results: The retained items resulted in a 13-item questionnaire, which includes a wide range of locomotion abilities well targeted to the sample population, leading to good reliability (R=.93). The item calibration was independent of age, sex, time since stroke, and affected side. The concurrent validity of ABILOCO was also investigated by comparing it with well-known, criterion standard scales (Functional Walking Category, Functional Ambulation Categories, item 12 of the FIM instrument evaluating walking ability) and the walking speed measured with the 10-meter walk test.

Conclusions: The ABILOCO questionnaire presents good psychometric qualities to measure locomotion ability in adult stroke patients. Its range and measurement precision make it attractive for clinical use throughout the rehabilitation process and for clinical research.