Resumen de Inter-rater reliability study of the modified Oxford Grading Scale and the Peritron manometer

Cristine Homsi Jorge Ferreira, Patrícia Brentegani Barbosa, Flaviane de Oliveira Souza, Flávia Ignácio Antônio, Maíra Menezes Franco, Kari Bø

• Objective To evaluate the inter-rater reliability of the modified Oxford Grading Scale and the Peritron manometer. Design All participants were evaluated twice, first by one examiner and 30 days later by a second examiner. Measurements of vaginal squeeze pressure were compared with the results from the palpation test. Participants Nineteen women with a mean age of 23.7 years (range 21 to 28 years). Results Inter-rater reliability for vaginal palpation was fair (κ = 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.09 to 0.57). Using the Peritron manometer, the difference between examiners was less than 10 cmH2O in 11 of the 19 (58%) cases. The palpation test did not differentiate between weak, moderate, good and strong muscle contractions. This study found fair inter-rater reliability for the modified Oxford Grading Scale and moderate inter-rater reliability for the Peritron manometer. Conclusions The inter-rater reliability of vaginal squeeze pressure measurement using the Peritron manometer is acceptable and can be used in re-evaluations performed by different examiners in clinical practice. However, for research purposes, the ideal situation would be for a single examiner to assess and re-assess the subject. Vaginal palpation is important in the clinical assessment of correctness of a pelvic floor muscle contraction, but this study does not support the use of the modified Oxford Grading Scale as a reliable and valid method to measure and differentiate pelvic floor muscle strength. © 2010 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.