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Testing the interrater reliability of the Functional Assessment for Burns (FAB) score in adult burn inpatients
Sarah Smailes1, Catherine Wharfe2
1St Andrew's Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7ET, United Kingdom.
Introduction:
Identifying valid and reliable instruments to measure physical function is key to standardising outcome reporting and improving patient care in adult burn survivors. The Functional Assessment for Burns (FAB) score is predictive of discharge outcome in adult burn inpatients and is used in routine clinical practice by therapists. The aim of this study was to assess the interrater reliability of the FAB score when used by different members of the inpatient rehabilitation team.
Objectives:
This research aimed to evaluate the interrater reliability of the FAB score.
Methods:
A prospective observational study assessed the interrater reliability of the FAB score when used by three different therapists simultaneously rating the same patient-scoring episode (n = 22).
Results:
The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for the FAB score as a complete tool revealed excellent agreement (ICC 0.999, P < 0.001, 95 % confidence interval 0.999 - 0.999), with Cronbach's alpha 0.999. Individual components of the FAB score revealed excellent agreement (ICC > 0.983, P < 0.001) with narrow 95 % confidence intervals.
Conclusion:
The FAB score is the first physical functional outcome measure developed specifically for patients on the burns ward to have demonstrated both interrater reliability and, based on our previous work, predictive validity. The overall FAB assessment, as well as its individual domains, showed excellent interrater reliability, supporting its utility in this patient population.
