Can rehabilitation adherence among stroke patients be measured using a single item?

Aims and objectives To assess the concurrent validity between logbooks and a single‐item rehabilitation adherence measurement for patients with stroke. Agreement between caregivers and patients and between caregivers and physical therapists regarding a single‐item measurement was investigated, and its predictive validity was explored. Background Adherence to therapy is a primary determinant of treatment success. There are no standard instruments for measuring rehabilitation adherence available for stroke patients. Design Prospective longitudinal study. Methods Seventy‐five patients with stroke were recruited, measured four times and followed for 6 months. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist was used to ensure comprehensive reporting. Adherence was documented in logbooks, and single‐item measurements were compared. Predictive validity was explored by assessing associations between adherence levels, self‐care ability and health‐related quality of life. The Spearman's correlation coefficients, weighted kappa, and generalised estimating equations statistics were used to explore the concurrent validity, measurement agreement, and predictive validity, respectively. Results Logbook records had a fair correlation (rs = .23, p = .04) with the single‐item rehabilitation adherence measurements. There was moderate agreement (kappa = 0.42, p