Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the stroke upper limb capacity scale

Purpose To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Stroke Upper Limb Capacity Scale (SULCS) compared to the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE). Materials and methods Patients with hemiplegia after stroke (n = 60). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to explore the reliability, and Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to analyze validity. Floor and ceiling effects were counted. Results The ICCs for inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability were ICC = 0.985 (95%CI = 0.966-0.992) and ICC = 0.982 (95%CI = 0.970-0.989), respectively. The SULCS demonstrated a strong correlation with the WMFT (r = 0.922, p < 0.001) and FMA-UE (r = 0.921, p < 0.001) at baseline. The WMFT and FMA at week 3 were as strong as those at baseline (r = 0.946, p < 0.001 and r = 0.952, p < 0.001, respectively). There was a strong longitudinal correlation between the changes in SULCS and WMFT and FMA-UE from baseline to week 3 (r = 0.745, p < 0.001 and r = 0.768, p < 0.001, respectively). No floor and ceiling effects were detected in any assessment. Conclusions Our analysis of the psychometric properties supports the use of the Chinese version of the SULCS to measure upper limb capacity in patients with hemiplegia after stroke.