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Reliability of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) When Used via Telehealth for Neurodevelopmentally High-Risk
Serena Davies1, Barbara R Lucas2,3,4,5, Genevieve M Dwyer1
1Physiotherapy Program, School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, NSW, Australia.
Insights
The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is a reliable tool for assessing infant motor skills via telehealth. This method is comparable in time to in-person assessments, with good reliability for both novice and expert raters.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Sciences
Background:
- Telehealth has emerged as a viable modality for remote healthcare delivery.
- Reliable and valid assessment tools are crucial for monitoring infant development, especially for high-risk populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) when administered through recorded telehealth sessions.
- To compare the reliability of AIMS assessments conducted by novice versus expert raters via telehealth.
Main Methods:
- Ten assessors (6 novice, 4 expert) independently rated video recordings of telehealth AIMS assessments for 23 high-risk infants.
- Inter- and intra-rater reliability for AIMS subscale scores, total scores, and percentile rankings were calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).
Main Results:
- Excellent inter-rater reliability was observed for AIMS total scores (ICC = 0.92-0.96) and most subscales (prone, supine, sitting: ICC = 0.90-0.96).
- Novice intra-rater reliability varied (ICC = 0.45-0.94), while expert reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.93-1.00).
- Telehealth assessment duration was comparable to face-to-face evaluations (mean 14.9 min), with novices utilizing video playback more frequently.
Conclusions:
- The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) demonstrates reliable performance when administered via telehealth consultations.
- Telehealth assessments using AIMS are comparable in time to traditional face-to-face evaluations.
- Training and the ability to review recordings contribute to the accuracy of telehealth-based AIMS assessments, even for novice raters.
Aims:
To assess the reliability of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) when conducted via recorded telehealth sessions by novice and expert raters.
Methods:
Ten assessors (six novice, four expert) independently rated recorded telehealth assessments of 23 neurodevelopmentally high-risk infants twice. Inter- and intra-rater reliability of subscale scores, total score and percentile rankings were determined.
Results:
AIMS total score inter-rater reliability was excellent across all raters (ICC = 0.92-0.96). Inter-rater-reliability across prone, supine and sitting subscale scores was excellent (ICC = 0.90-0.96) but variable for standing subscale (ICC = 0.06-0.65). Novice total score intra-rater reliability was variable (ICC = 0.45-0.94); expert reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.93-1.00). Recording to real-time telehealth assessment had excellent intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.96). Time taken to complete the assessment was comparable to a face-to-face assessment (mean: 14.9 min). Novices paused/replayed each video more than experts (2.2 compared to 1.0 in Time 1; and 1.0 compared to 0.5 in Time 2).
Conclusions:
The AIMS assessment is reliable when undertaken via telehealth consultation. Time taken to complete the assessment is comparable to a face-to-face assessment. Novice inter-rater reliability was similar to experts. Training and the ability to pause/review infant motor performance may explain the accuracy achieved.
