Test-retest reliability and responsiveness to change of the ChARM
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Test-retest reliability and responsiveness to change of the Children's Arm Rehabilitation Measure (ChARM).
IRAS ID
252687
Contact name
Nick Preston
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Head of Research Integrity and Governance
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
n/a, n/a
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 20 days
Research summary
Occupational therapy and physiotherapy aim to improve the quality of life and functional independence of children with cerebral palsy. It is essential that occupational therapists and physiotherapists have reliable and valid outcome measures that accurately capture changes in upper limb function of children with cerebral palsy so that they can identify whether their interventions and treatments are effective.
Historically, outcome measures used for this purpose lacked responsiveness, were unreliable or were not properly validated for children with cerebral palsy.
To overcome these problems, researchers at the University of Leeds developed the Children’s Arm Rehabilitation Measure (ChARM). The CHARM met strict standards of scientific measurement, and it has subsequently been used across the UK and abroad by occupational therapy and physiotherapy teams. However, there are two important standards of measurement that still need to be tested. This study will complete scientific testing of the ChARM’s measurement properties by evaluating its test-retest reliability and responsiveness to change.Children with cerebral palsy routinely attend the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) Orthopaedic Clinic and Botulinum Clinic for clinical assessment on whether surgical procedures or other treatment might be beneficial. For this study, parents will complete the ChARM on three occasions. First, the ChARM will be posted to parents twenty-one days before they attend a surgical clinic at the LGI. The ChARM will be completed again at the clinic and the two different responses will be evaluated using appropriate statistical methods for test-retest reliability.
At the clinic, the children will also be evaluated using standard outcome measures used by the clinic: the Shriners Hospital for Children Upper Extremity Evaluation (SHUEE) and the ABLHAND-Kids. These measures and the ChARM will also be used to evaluate the children three months after their treatment. These outcomes will be used to evaluate the responsiveness to change of the ChARM.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1927
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jan 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion