Evaluation of the self-administered indicator plaster neuropad for the diagnosis of neuropathy in diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the inter-rater reliability between patient and health care provider of the indicator plaster neuropad (IPN) in the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy and the feasibility of the IPN. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 156 patients with diabetes were examined. At the same visit, the IPN was evaluated by the health care provider. Afterward, the IPN with written instructions for its use and evaluation for self-testing at home were provided together with a questionnaire asking for the easiness of the IPN. RESULTS Neuropathy was diagnosed in 56.9% of the participants by the health care provider. The k statistic to measure overall agreement between patient and health care provider of the IPN was very good: 0.88 (95% CI 0.85-0.91). The indicated instructions and the IPN were evaluated as easy by the patients. CONCLUSIONS The high degree of reliability and the easiness of the IPN suggest that it is proper for self-testing for the identification of peripheral neuropathy.