Inter-rater reliability of the Disability Assessment Schedule (DAS, version II). An Italian study

The paper describes a reliability study conducted on the Italian version of the Disability Assessment Schedule (DAS II). Thirty patients were included in the study. They were drawn from those who contacted the South-Verona Community Psychiatric Service. Each patient was assessed by two raters who were assigned to the roles of interviewer and observer in a balanced, randomized way. Several statistical indices of reliability were calculated for the interviewer-observer comparison. The interview showed an overall good reliability. The lowest values were found for those items where the social and cultural expectations on "normal behaviour" are more variable. Section 3 of the DAS was considered in general not applicable, and the authors opinion is that it should be reconsidered for its use in the Italian situation.