Reliability of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Testing Motor Performance in Patients Following Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to establish the interrater reliability of assessments made with the Fugl-Meyer evaluation of physical performance in a rehabilitation setting. SUBJECTS: Twelve patients (7 male, 5 female), aged 49 to 86 years (mean = 66), who had sustained a cerebrovascular accident participated in the study. All patients were admitted consecutively to a rehabilitation center and were between 6 days and 6 months poststroke. METHODS: Three physical therapists, each with more than 10 years of experience, assessed the patients in a randomized and balanced order using this assessment. The therapists standardized the assessment approach prior to the study but did not discuss the procedure once the study began. RESULTS: The overall reliability was high (overall intraclass correlation coefficient = .96), and the intraclass correlation coefficients for the subsections of the assessment varied from .61 for pain to .97 for the upper extremity. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: The relative merits of using the Fugl-Meyer assessment as a research tool versus a clinical assessment for stroke are discussed.