The Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients: translation into Norwegian, cultural adaptation, and examination of reliability

Background: To translate the Modified Swedish version of Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke (SwePASS) into Norwegian (SwePASS-NV) and assess its intra- and interrater reliability. Methods: Translation and cross-cultural adaptation was accomplished according to international guidelines. Forty-seven adults, suffering a stroke within the last 6 months, were strategically recruited and allocated into groups according to five different levels of function. Their performance on SwePASS-NV was video-recorded and then scored by three raters twice, with a minimum of 4 weeks between sessions. Relative reliability was investigated by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC1.1 and ICC3.1). Absolute reliability was analysed using within-subject SD (Sw) and smallest detectable difference (SDD). For individual items, Cohen’s kappa (k) and percentage of agreement were calculated. Results: The study showed excellent intra- and interrater reliability (ICC1.1 and ICC3.1 ≥0.99) for SwePASS-NV. K-values for the individual items ranged between 0.68 and 1.00. Percentages of agreement ranged from 77% to 100%. SDD at 95% confidence interval was ≤2 points for intrarater assessments and ≤3 points for interrater assessments. Conclusions: This study demonstrated very high intra- and interrater reliability of the SwePASS-NV in adults within the first 6 months after stroke. All items showed very high or high agreement.