Reliability and Validity of the Streamlined Wolf Motor Function Test for Chronic Stroke.
The present study evaluated the reliability and validity of the Streamlined Wolf Motor Function Test for Chronic Stroke (SWMFT-C), a shortened and redesigned version of the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) to determine upper extremity (UE) motor abilities. Twenty individuals with chronic stroke were included in a cross-sectional study design. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) were used to assess impaired motor recovery of the UE in these patients. The SWMFT-C's test-retest (two weeks) reliability and inter-rater reliability (three physical therapists) were examined using the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) ICC2,1 and ICC3,1. Validity was analysed by FMA-UE and SIS-hand function at baseline and 2 weeks using Pearson's r values. The SWMFT-C performance time(s) demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (ICC3,1 = 0.943, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.859-0.978, standard error of measurement [SEM] = 0.15) and outstanding inter-rater reliability (ICC2,1 = 0.999, 95% CI = 0.998-1.000, SEM = 1.15). The functional ability scale (FAS) also demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (ICC3,1 = 0.945, 95% CI = 0.861-0.978, SEM = 0.12) and inter-rater reliability (ICC2,1 = 0.973, 95% CI = 0.944-0.989, SEM = 0.18). Internal consistency (IC) was calculated using the overall Cronbach's alpha and demonstrated outstanding agreement as shown by values of 0.99 and 0.94 in performance time(s) and FAS, respectively; the values of minimum detectable change (MDC95) were 2.26 seconds and 0.34 seconds, respectively. The validity was good to excellent as correlated with FMA-UE and SIS-hand function, ranging from -0.86 to -0.52 in performance time(s) and 0.65 to 0.80 in FAS. The SWMFT-C is a valid, reliable clinical instrument for the population with chronic stroke.