Interrater reliability of the standardized Timed Up and Go Test when used in hospitalized and community-dwelling older individuals

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the interrater reliability and measurement error of the standardized Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test manual using the fastest of the three timed TUG trials in hospitalized and community-dwelling older individuals.

METHODS: Thirty participants (19 from a hospital and 11 from an outpatient geriatric centre: 20 women, 10 men), 65 years or older, all of whom had been referred to physiotherapy due to a functional decline, were included. All participants performed the TUG Test across two sessions (three trials in each) on the same day, separated by a minimum of 30 min. The two raters were blinded to each other's ratings until the end of the study, and the rater order was randomized.

RESULTS: Participants from the outpatient centre had a higher prereferral functional level when evaluated with the New Mobility Score and performed the TUG Test significantly faster than the hospital group. Accordingly, reliability estimates are reported for each specific group. Interrater reliability was excellent for both groups (intraclass correlation coefficient2.1 ≥ 0.93), and no systematic between-rater difference for obtained TUG times was found. The measurement error was acceptable both at the group (standard error of measurement [SEM] = 1.7 s and SEM% = 8 [hospital] vs. 0.7 s and 6 [outpatient]) and the individual (minimal detectable change [MDC95 ] = 4.6 s and MDC95 % = 23 [hospital] vs. 1.8 s and 17 [outpatient]) level.

CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that using the fastest of the three TUG trials is highly reliable between raters and with acceptable measurement error. We, therefore, suggest that the standardized TUG manual with the fastest of the three timed trials be used for the assessment of functional mobility in hospitalized and community-dwelling older individuals.