Reliability and Responsiveness of the Korean Version of the Trunk Impairment Scale for Stroke Patients

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to develop the Korean version of the trunk impairment scale (K-TIS) and to examine reliability and responsiveness of the K-TIS in patients with stroke. Methods Subjects of the study were 51 stroke patients (mean age: 57.78 years) recruited from two stroke clinics. For the interrater and test-retest reliability, two raters measured the K-TIS two times using video clips with an interval of 2 weeks. For the responsiveness, intensive physical therapy training was provided to all participants 2 times a day for one month or three months depending on the onset of the stroke and the admission rules of the two clinics. Inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability of the K-TIS three subscales (static sitting balance, dynamic sitting balance, and coordination) scores and total scores were examined using intra-correlation coefficient ($ICC_{3,1}$) and Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). To examine responsiveness, the minimally important difference (MID) was calculated with effect size. Results: Inter-rater reliability of the K-TIS subscales and total scores were all high (ICC3,1=0.920-0.983 and r=0.924-0.984). For the test-retest reliability, $ICC_{3,1}$=0.805-0.901 and r=0.806-0.903, and the MID for acute and post-acute as well as chronic stroke patients remained in the mean change range. Conclusion: It is suggested that the K-TIS might be used for clinical and research purposes as a standardized tool for stroke patients. In addition, it can also be useful in establishment of treatment goal(s) and planning treatment program(s) for patients with stroke.