Cd. Fordsmith et al., TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY OF THE SENSORY ORGANIZATION TEST IN NONINSTITUTIONALIZED OLDER ADULTS, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 76(1), 1995, pp. 77-81
The purpose of this study was to determine the 1-week test-retest reli
ability of the Sensory Organization Test (SOT), using computer-generat
ed scores and loss of balance (LOB) episodes in noninstitutionalized o
lder adults. The SOT was administered to each subject on two separate
days 1 week apart in an out-patient clinic. A volunteer sample of 40 i
ndividuals who were at least 65 years of age participated in this stud
y. The main outcome measures were computer-generated scores for the fi
rst trial and the average of the three trials in each of the six senso
ry conditions of the SOT; computer-generated composite score of the si
x conditions; LOB on the first trial and any of three trials in each c
ondition. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for the SOT fi
rst trial data ranged from .15 in Condition 3 to 0.70 in Condition 5.
The ICCs for the SOT average of three trials ranged from 0.26 in Condi
tion 3 to 0.68 and 0.64 in Conditions 5 and 6. Percent agreement was 7
7% to 100% for LOB on the first trial, as well as LOB on any of three
trials of Conditions 1 through 6. As the conditions became more diffic
ult, an increasing number of subjects experienced LOB. Analysis reveal
ed fair to good test-retest reliability for computer-generated scores
and good reliability for LOB across some conditions of the SOT. A modi
fication to the current scoring system is suggested which would improv
e the reliability of the computer-generated scores of the SOT. (C) 199
5 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American
Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation