Intra-and inter-examiner reliability of Alberta Infant Motor Scale application in follow-up ambulatory of at-risk newborns

ABSTRACT Prematurity is a risk factor for delayed motor development, and it is recommended to monitor these infants in the first two years of life. To verify the properties of intra and inter-examiner measurements of AIMS in an outpatient follow-up clinic for newborns at risk in a public maternity hospital. Prospective study conducted in an outpatient follow-up of high-risk newborns. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was used to analyze reliability. To compare the intra-examiner evaluations, the paired T-test or Wilcoxon test was performed. The independent T-test was used to compare inter-examiner assessments. The correlation between variables was analyzed using the Pearson or Spearman test. The Bland Altman test was performed to assess the concordance between the scores. 31 preterm infants with 8,47 ± 4,49 of corrected age were evaluated. There was no significant difference between the evaluations intra and inter-examiner. The ICC values remained above 0.88 for both intra and inter-examiner evaluation. The scores showed high agreement. AIMS has intra- and inter-examiner reliability for assessing and monitoring preterm newborns for up to 18 months in a follow-up clinic.

摘要：早产是运动发育迟缓的危险因素，建议在该类婴儿出生后的前两年对其开展监测。本研究旨在验证某公立妇产医院高危新生儿门诊随访诊室中，阿尔伯塔婴儿运动量表（AIMS）的检查者内与检查者间测量信度特性。本研究为一项纳入高危新生儿门诊随访队列的前瞻性研究，采用组内相关系数（Intraclass Correlation Coefficient，ICC）分析信度；为比较检查者内评估结果，采用配对t检验或Wilcoxon秩和检验；为比较检查者间评估结果，则采用独立样本t检验。变量间的相关性分析采用Pearson相关分析或Spearman秩相关分析，并通过Bland-Altman检验评估各评分间的一致性。本研究共纳入31例校正年龄为8.47±4.49的早产患儿进行评估，结果显示检查者内与检查者间的评估结果均无显著性差异，且检查者内及检查者间评估的ICC值均高于0.88，各评分间一致性较高。在门诊随访场景中，阿尔伯塔婴儿运动量表（AIMS）用于评估和监测最长至18月龄的早产新生儿时，具备良好的检查者内及检查者间信度。