Validity and responsiveness of the rivermead mobility index in stroke patients

The Rivermead Mobility Index is used to measure mobility in patients with h ead injury or stroke. The purpose of the study was to examine construct val idity, predictive validity, and the responsiveness of the Rivermead Mobilit y Index in stroke patients, Thirty-eight stroke inpatients participated in the study. The Rivermead Mobility Index, the Barthel Index, and the Berg Ba lance Scale were administered at admission to the rehabilitation ward and a t discharge. The results showed that the Rivermead Mobility Index fulfilled the Guttman scaling criteria (coefficients of reproducibility. 0.9, coeffi cients of scalability > 0.7). The Rivermead Mobility Index scores were high ly correlated with the Barthel Index scores (Spearman rs > 0.6) and the Ber g Balance Scale scores (Spearman rs > = 0.8, all ps < 0.001). The Rivermead Mobility Index score at admission was closely correlated with the Barthel Index score at discharge (Spearman r = 0.77, p < 0.001), About 76% (29) of the subjects improved by more than 3 Rivermead Mobility Index points (media n = 5) during their stay. The relationship between the change in score of t he Rivermead Mobility Index and the Barthel Index was fair (Spearman r = 0. 6, p < 0.001), These results indicate that the Rivermead Mobility Index is valid and sensitive to change over time. It is therefore a useful scale for the assessment of mobility in stroke patients.