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Interrater reliability of the bedside shivering assessment scale
DaiWai M Olson1, Jana L Grissom, Rachel A Williamson
1Duke University Health System in Durham, NC 27710, USA. olson006@mc.duke.edu
Summary
The Bedside Shivering Assessment Scale (BSAS) shows moderate interrater reliability. This scale is suitable for diverse practitioners to assess patient shivering.
Area of Science:
- Medical assessment tools
- Clinical psychometrics
- Patient monitoring
Background:
- The Bedside Shivering Assessment Scale (BSAS) has undergone limited psychometric testing since its inception.
- Further validation is necessary before widespread clinical adoption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the interrater reliability of the BSAS among a varied group of healthcare practitioners.
- To determine if the BSAS is a dependable tool for assessing patient shivering in clinical settings.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 5 observers conducting 100 paired, independent assessments using the BSAS.
- Kappa statistics were calculated to quantify agreement between observers, treating BSAS scores as ordinal data.
Main Results:
- Overall moderate agreement (weighted kappa = 0.48) was found across 100 paired observations.
- Substantial agreement (kappa = 0.66) was achieved when shivering was dichotomized into "little/no" versus "significant" categories.
- No significant influence of assessment timing or practitioner role on score agreement was identified.
Conclusions:
- The BSAS demonstrates adequate interrater reliability for use by a diverse range of practitioners.
- The findings support the consideration of the BSAS for routine clinical practice in patient shivering assessment.
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