Inter-rater reliability of formally trained and self-trained raters using the Edmonton Functional Assessment Tool

The primary objective of this study was to determine the inter-rater reliab ility of the revised version of the Edmonton Functional Assessment Tool (EF AT-2). A second objective was to determine whether both formally trained an d self-trained therapists had an acceptable level of inter-rater reliabilit y. The EFAT-2 was administered to consenting palliative care patients by on e of two independent physical therapist rater pairs; one pair self-trained (R1, R2) and the other formally trained (R3, R4). The intraclass correlatio n [ICC(1,1)] for R1, R2 was 0.97 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94-0.99] a nd for R3, R4 was 0.95 (95% CI 0.90-0.98). The standard error of measuremen t was 1.09 and 1.44, respectively. The Kappa statistic for the rater pairs on individual EFAT items ranged from 0.17 to 0.96. The results suggest that both formally trained and serf-trained therapists obtain an acceptable lev el of inter-rater reliability when using the EFAT-2.