[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the intra- and inter-rater reliabilities of the Short Form Berg Balance Scale in institutionalized elderly people. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 30 elderly people in a nursing facility in Y city, South Korea, participated in this study. Two examiners administered the Short Form Berg Balance Scale to one subject to investigate inter-rater re...

BACKGROUND Cervical proprioception is a common term used in neck rehabilitation, and it is examined using neutral head position (NHP) and target head position (THP) tests. OBJECTIVE To investigate intra- and inter-rater reliability of the NHP and THP tests in patients with neck pain and in healthy controls. METHODS The intra-rater (between-day) and inter-rater (within-day) reliability of th...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the Erasmus MC modifications to the Nottingham Sensory Assessment (EmNSA). SUBJECTS A consecutive sample of 18 inpatients, with a mean age of 57.7 years, diagnosed with an intracranial disorder and referred for physiotherapy. SETTING The inpatient neurology and neurosurgery wards of a university hospital. DESIGN Throu...

BACKGROUND Measurement of maximum inspiratory pressure is the most prevalent method used in clinical practice to assess the strength of the inspiratory muscles. Although there are many devices available for the assessment of inspiratory muscle strength, there is a dearth of literature describing the reliability of devices that can be used in clinical patient assessment. The capsule-sensing pres...

BACKGROUND Infrared thermography is an aid tool that can be used to evaluate several pathologies given its efficiency in analyzing the distribution of skin surface temperature. OBJECTIVES To propose two forms of infrared image analysis of the masticatory and upper trapezius muscles, and to determine the intra and inter-rater reliability of both forms of analysis. METHOD Infrared images of m...

BACKGROUND Functional capacity evaluation (FCE) determines a person's ability to perform work-related tasks and is a major component of the rehabilitation process. The WorkWell Systems (WWS) FCE (formerly known as Isernhagen Work Systems FCE) is currently the most commonly used FCE tool in German rehabilitation centres. Our systematic review investigated the inter-rater, intra-rater and test-re...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to assess intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS) as a tool to measure supraspinatus tendon thickness in healthy subjects. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty healthy subjects were assessed in similar sitting position. Two experienced musculoskeletal ultrasound specialists measured supraspinatus tendon thickness. Tendon was...

BACKGROUND In the problem-based learning (PBL) medical curriculum at the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain, students construct concept maps related to each case they study in PBL tutorials. AIM To evaluate the interrater reliability and predictive validity of concept map scores using a structured assessment tool. METHODS We examined concept maps of the same cohort of students at the beginn...

We present a new annotation scheme for normalizing time expressions, such as three days ago, to computer-readable forms, such as 2016-03-07. The annotation scheme addresses several weaknesses of the existing TimeML standard, allowing the representation of time expressions that align to more than one calendar unit (e.g., the past three summers), that are defined relative to events (e.g., three w...

Four decades of forensic research have left unanswered a fundamental issue regarding the best conceptualization of competency to stand trial vis-à-vis the Dusky standard. The current study investigated three competing models (discrete abilities, domains, and cognitive complexity) on combined data (N = 411) from six forensic and correctional samples. Using the Evaluation of Competency to Stand T...