Reliability of the unified multiple system atrophy rating scale using the telephone

Abstract

Objective: The unified multiple system atrophy rating scale (UMSARS) was used to evaluate various symptoms of multiple system atrophy (MSA). And UMSARS part 1 was originally developed for use in interviews, but the need for telemedicine is increasing in COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reliability of the UMSARS part 1 telephone survey.

Methods: Thirty-two MSA patients took the UMSARS part 1 face-to-face, followed by two more telephone evaluations. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha (α) coefficients were calculated, and the inter-rater reliability was determined. At the same time, we asked about the problems in COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: The study participants included 15 men and 17 women with mean age of 67.1 years (SD, 8.3). For the total UMSARS part 1 score, the inter-rater ICC and Cronbach's α coefficient were 0.89 to 0.92, and 0.84 to 0.87, respectively. More than half of the items had a relatively high ICC. Cronbach's α coefficients were more than 0.7 for all items. Changes that occurred in COVID-19 pandemic included reduced outings and lack of rehabilitation in about half of the cases.

Conclusion: The UMSARS part 1 has high inter-rater reliability and internal consistency. Evaluation of subjective symptoms showed that some variability could occur. In addition, there was concern about the influence of lack of rehabilitation due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Cronbach’s α coefficient; Intraclass correlation coefficient; Multiple system atrophy; Telemedicine; Unified multiple system atrophy rating scale.