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Within-day repeatability of the endurance shuttle walk test
S M Revill1, J Williams, L Sewell
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester LE3 9QP, UK. sue.revill@sfh-tr.nhs.uk
Objective:
To determine the need for a practice walk for the endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT) following the performance of two incremental shuttle walk tests (ISWTs) - one practice and one test - on the same day.
Design:
Retrospective data analysis of shuttle walk test measurements. All participants had performed two ISWTs and two ESWTs at a single visit, prior to commencing pulmonary rehabilitation.
Setting:
Outpatient physiotherapy department of a university hospital.
Participants:
Forty-four patients (33 males, 11 females) with a primary diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, referred for routine pulmonary rehabilitation.
Measurements:
Shuttle walk test distance and time, Borg breathlessness score, heart rate and pulsed oxygen saturation.
Results:
The mean age of the group was 67.6 years [standard deviation (SD) 9.0] and mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second was 37% predicted (SD 13). The mean times walked during ESWTs 1 and 2 were 195 and 207 seconds (SD 115 and 138), respectively. Using the analysis recommended by Bland and Altman, the mean of the individual differences (d) between Tests 1 and 2 was 12 seconds, with limits of agreement from -88 to +112 seconds.
Conclusion:
A practice endurance shuttle walk is unnecessary following performance of ISWTs on the same day.
