Intrarater Reliability of the Action Research Arm Test for Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the Action Research Arm Test for persons with Parkinson’s disease. This study also aimed to examine the feasibility of the Action Research Arm Test for measuring the upper extremity function for Parkinson’s disease patients. [Subjects] Twenty idiopathic Parkinson’s disease patients participated in this study. To investigate the test-retest reliability of the Action Research Arm Test, assessments were made by clinical observation. The Action Research Arm Test was assessed in two sessions that were three days apart. [Results] Test-retest reliability (0.99) of the Action Research Arm Test was high, indicating excellent agreement. All Action Research Arm Test items showed very high reliability with intracorrelation coefficient values, from 0.93 to 0.99. [Conclusion] The Action Research Arm Test was shown to be a reliable measure for evaluating the functional activities of the upper extremity, and the ability of the Action Research Arm Test to assess functional activities of the Parkinson’s disease population should be acceptable in research and clinical settings.