Reliability of 4 metre gait speed in IPF
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Reliability of the 4 metre gait speed in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
IRAS ID
165976
Contact name
William Man
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study is investigating a simple test of usual walking speed, measured using the 4 metre gait speed (4MGS) test, in patients with a lung disease called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Drug development for this disease is slow in part because there is a lack of reliable measurements that can assess the effectiveness of treatment. Slow walking speed has been shown to relate to poor outcomes in older adults and people with another lung disease called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). We are interested to see whether usual walking speed is a reliable measure in patients with IPF as this will help inform us of its potential use as an outcome measure. To do this participants who consent to taking part in the study will be timed walking at their usual walking speed over a distance of 4 metres (13.12 feet). Participants will be asked to do this twice with a rest in between if required. One week later, participants will be asked to repeat the walking tests again.
REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/2248
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion