The reliability and validity of a novel Chinese version simplified modified Rankin scale questionnaire (2011)

The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is a key global outcome measure after stroke internationally. The latest English version of the simplified modified Rankin scale questionnaire (smRSq)(2011) is a reliable and valid tool in scoring the mRS after stroke. In order to use this tool in Chinese patients, we translated it into Chinese and tested its clinimetric properties.

The English version smRSq (2011) was translated into Chinese by a standard process. We recruited 300 consecutive hospitalized ischemic stroke patients in the department of neurology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital. Six randomly paired raters scored the conventional mRS, the novel Chinese version smRSq (2011), the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and the Barthel index (BI) in-person. Inter-rater reliability and validity were assessed.

Among the 300 ischemic stroke patients, mean age was 64.9 ± 12.1 years, and 220 (73%) were male. For inter-rater reliability of the smRSq (2011), the percent agreement among the paired raters was 87%, the kappa (κ) was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.79-0.88), and the weighted kappa (κ_w) was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.95-0.98). The percent agreement between the smRSq (2011) scores and the conventional mRS scores was 55%, κ = 0.47 (95% CI, 0.40-0.54), and κ_w = 0.91 (95% CI, 0.89-0.93). In construct validity testing, the Spearman's correlation coefficients comparing the smRSq (2011) scores with the NIHSS and the BI scores were 0.83 (P < 0.001) and - 0.86 (P < 0.001), respectively.

Our results show good to excellent clinimetric properties of the novel Chinese version smRSq (2011) in scoring the mRS in Chinese stroke patients. Further validation in other clinical settings, including in communities and by remote methods in China is warranted.