Neurology International 2013; volume 5:e2Reliability of the modifiedRankin Scale applied by telephone

We aimed to evaluate the reliability of the modified Rankin Scale applied telephonically compared with face-to-face assessment in clin-ically stable hospitalized patients with acute stroke. One hundred and thirty-one patients were interviewed twice by 2 certified nurses (unstructured interview). Half of the patients were randomized to be interviewed by tele-phone followed by the face-to-face assessment, and half in the reverse order. The median value of the modified Rankin Scale score was 4 (first to third interquartile range 3-5) by tele-phone as well as by face-to-face assessment (P=0.8). The weighted kappa between the two methods was 0.82 (95 % confidence interval: 0.77-0.88). Sensitivity of the telephone assess-ment was lower for scores 2 and 3 (17 % and 46%, respectively) than for the other scores (range 67-90%). Telephone assessment of stroke disability with the modified Rankin Scale is reliable in comparison to direct face-to-face assessment