Reproducibilidad de la batería EPESE de desempeño físico en atención primaria

Objective. To estimate the reproducibility of three direct measures of physical performance from the Short Physical Performance Battery, or EPESE Battery, in primary care. Design. Prospective and descriptive study based on direct observation of physical function by health professionals using a standardised method. Setting. Three primary care health centres in the provinces of Alicante and Valencia, Spain. Participants. A sample of 66 subjects, 70 or more years, was selected. Subjects were tested in Primary Care contexts twice (time interval of 2 weeks, median 14 days) by the same interviewer to replica te study conditions. 69 Main measurements. Performance-based functional status was evaluated by three performance tests: standing balance, gait speed, and chair stand. These tests were adapted from the EPESE studies (Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies ofthe Elderly). Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess direct measures of performance. Results. Intra-class correlations coefficients were 0.55 for standing balance, 0.69 for chair stands, and 0.79 for gait speed. An ICC of 0.80 for global EPESE battery was obtained. Pearson correlations values are of similar magnitude to the ICCs values. Conclusion. Several commonly used measures of performance may be reliable as originally reported. Performance measures may be valuable for assessing major changes in health and functioning over time. Objetivo. Estimar la reproducibilidad de tres medidas objetivas de desempeño físico de personas mayores en atención primaria. Diseño. Estudio descriptivo y prospectivo con observación directa de la función física por parte de profesionales de la salud de acuerdo a un protocolo estandarizado. Emplazamiento. Tres centros de atención primaria de las provincias de Alicante y Valencia. Participantes. Muestra de 66 personas de 70 y más años, evaluadas en dos ocasiones por el mismo profesional al objeto de replicar idénticas condiciones del estudio, en un intervalo temporal de dos semanas (mediana de 14 días). Mediciones principales. Se evaluó el funcionamiento físico a través de tres pruebas objetivas de desempeño: el test de equilibrio, el de velocidad de la marcha. y la capacidad para levantarse y sentarse de una silla. Estas medidas provienen de los estudios EPESE (Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly). Se ha calculado la fiabilidad test-retest mediante el coeficiente de correlación intraclase. Resultados. Los coefic