Responsiveness of Walking LEVEL Scale（WaLS）for Assessment of Patients Admitted in a Convalescent Rehabilitation Ward
- VernacularTitle:回復期リハビリテーション病棟における歩行レベル評価尺度Walking LEVEL Scale（WaLS）の反応性の検討
- Author:
Akira MOCHIZUKI
1
;
Takanobu TOYODA
2
;
Koki KAMIYA
2
;
Takuya SUZUKI
2
;
Yuki HATTORI
2
;
Yoshinobu YOSHIMOTO
3
Author Information
- Keywords: convalescent rehabilitation ward; gait function; walking ability; reactivity; rating scale
- From:The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2025;():24041-
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
- Abstract: Objective: This study investigated and compared the responsiveness of the Walking LEVEL Scale (WaLS), Functional Independence Measure (FIM)-walk item, and Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) in patients hospitalized in a Convalescent Rehabilitation Ward (CRW).Methods: One hundred three patients participated in this study. Physical or occupational therapists assessed the three scales at two times of admission and discharge to determine the responsiveness. The amount of change, ceiling and floor effect, Effect Size (ES), and Standardized Response Mean (SRM) determined the responsiveness to change from admission to discharge. Their analysis was by severity and disease.Results: The amount of change in WaLS was larger than that of the FIM-walk item and FAC, except for the moderate gait disability group. More ceiling and floor effects were observed in FIM-walk item evaluation. Regardless of severity or disease, all rating scales showed moderate or better responsiveness (ES > 0.5). When ceiling or floor effects were observed, ES tended to be overestimated. The SRM of WaLS was larger than that of the other scales, except for the mild gait disability group.Conclusion: The results support WaLS as the most suitable instrument to detect walking level changes over time for patients in CRW.
