Reliability And Validity Of The Chinese Version Of The Quality Of Upper Extremity Skills Test For The Upper Limb Function In Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy

PurposeTo further explore the Reliability and Validity of the Chinese version the quality of upper extremity skills test applying to measure the upper limb function in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Another aim was to use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Children and Youth Version(ICF-CY) as a framework to investigate the features of the assessments.MethodAfter getting the authorization of the scale original author, following the international scale introduction program, two-way translation method was used to develop the Chinese version the quality of upper extremity skills test. One hundred children with spastic cerebral palsy participated from the third affiliated hospital of Zhengzhou university Rehabilitation Center for Children. One evaluator measured all children applying the Chinese version QUEST and recorded the videos at the same time. The same evaluator and the other one made a second evaluation based the video in two weeks, the two results of the evaluator and different evaluators were used to test the test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability.75 children were received PDMS-FM and FMFM assessment at the same time, and the correlation PDMS-FM original points, FMFM scores and the QUEST raw score of each domain were analysed. Using ICF-CY linking rules, the items of Chinese version were assigned ICF-CY codes after discussing. Informal decision was made by a third party when holding different opinions, and getting the outcome’s overall domain of measurement. SPSS 19.0 software carried on the statistical analysis, α=0.05 was the inspection level.Results1. Four domains original scores of Chinese version QUEST have excellent test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability.2. A strong association between the original scores of Chinese version QUEST domains and PDMS-FM(Spearman r=0.575~0.820), and the correlation index between Chinese version QUEST domains and all area of FMFM(Spearman r=0.423~0.830) was moderate except with the E area of FMFM(Spearman r=0.423~0.830).3. Dissociated movement,weight-bearing and protective extension domains of the Chinese version QUEST overwhelmingly evaluates concepts in the body function Domain of ICF-CY, Grasp was the only domain of the Chinese version QUEST where concepts for scored items were coded as both the body function and activity.Conclusions1. The study further confirmed that the Chinese version QUEST has outstanding test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability.2. Demonstrating the good parallel validity of the assessment through the correlation analysis with PDMS-FM and FMFM tests.3. The consequence of this identification and linking steps has provided specific comprehension about the measured concepts for the Chinese version QUEST, and applying a contributed evidence to support the validity of the assessment in future.4. It can be the first assessment tool used as evaluation of upper limb movement function in spastic cerebral palsy children. Furthermore, it is worth using widely in clinical and guiding clinicians and researchers to formulate intervention measures.