A Reliability and Comparative Analysis of the New Randomized King-Devick Test.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Sports Medicine
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• The King-Devick (K-D) test assesses brain trauma, like concussion, by measuring saccadic rhythm impairments.
• A new tablet-based randomized number version of the K-D test is available, but its reliability and comparison to the traditional version are unestablished.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the test-retest reliability of the randomized K-D test.
• To compare the performance of the randomized K-D test with the traditional K-D test.
• To investigate learning effects in both K-D test versions.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, repeated measures design was used with 96 healthy university students.
• Participants were randomly assigned to either the traditional K-D test (same numbers) or the randomized K-D test (different number sets) for two sessions, one week apart.

Main Results:

• Both the traditional and randomized K-D tests demonstrated strong test-retest reliability (ICC 0.95 and 0.97, respectively).
• No significant differences in baseline or repeated testing times were found between the two groups.
• Both groups showed significant improvement in test times with repeated testing, indicating learning effects.

Conclusions:

• The randomized K-D test is reliable and comparable to the traditional version for concussion screening.
• Learning effects in the randomized K-D test are attributed to test familiarity rather than content memorization.
• Individual baseline data is crucial for interpreting K-D test results, regardless of the version used.