A Rasch analysis of the Conley Scale in patients admitted to a general hospital.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggested that the CS, although unidimensional, could not provide interval-scale measurement of the risk of falling, had a measurement range that mismatched the ability range of the population being measured, and had a reliability inadequate for individual person measurements. Given these findings, the use of the CS to identify inpatients at risk of falling is not recommended. Implications for rehabilitation The Conley Scale is a unidimensional tool according to Confirmatory Factor Analysis. However, Rasch analysis demonstrated that the tool could not provide interval-scale measurement of the risk of falling, had a measurement range that did not fit the ability range of the population being measured, and had a level of reliability which was inadequate for its intended purpose, that is individual person measurement. The diagnostic utility of the known published cutoff is severely hampered by the severe mistargeting and reduced reliability of the tool. Given these shortcomings, the Conley Scale cannot be recommended to identify inpatients at risk of falling. PMID: 29912585 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Disability and Rehabilitation - Category: Rehabilitation Authors: Tags: Disabil Rehabil Source Type: research