RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Six minute walk test inter-rater reproducibility in COPD patients: Cross-sectional study
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P3692
VO 42
IS Suppl 57
A1 Juliano Ferreira Arcuri
A1 Ivana Gonçalves Labadessa
A1 Joyce Nogueira Ferreira da Costa
A1 Bruna Varanda Pessoa
A1 Maurício Jamami
A1 Valéria Amorim Pires Di Lorenzo
YR 2013
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P3692.abstract
AB Introduction: Six minute walk test (6MWT) is an important tool in the evaluation of functional capacity and prognostic in COPD patients. However, especially in long term follow-up, this test could be executed by different evaluators and it isn’t well-know if 6MWT has an acceptable inter-rater reproducibility. Aims: This study analyzed 6MWT intra and inter-rater reproducibility in COPD patients. Methods: In this study, 31 patients with clinical and spirometrical diagnosis of COPD were enrolled to participate. They performed three 6MWT (American Thoracic Society, AJRCCM 2002; 116: 111–7), the first and second were executed by the same evaluator with a 30min interval, and the last by a different evaluator a week later. Exercise capacity was determinate using the walking distance. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altmann plots were used. Results: Intra and inter-rater relative reproducibility was excellent (ICC>0,8). Limits of agreement (Figura 1) were higher than the minimal important clinical difference (35m) in both intra and inter-rater analysis.Figure 1: Reproducibility A: Intra-rater; B: Inter-rater.6MWT: Six minute walk test.In spite of the excellent relative reproducibility, the high bias reaffirms the need of a practice test, and the caution in a comparison of tests done by two different evaluators. Conclusions: 6MWT don’t have an acceptable inter-rater reproducibility, due to its high bias.