The Interrater Reliability of a Validated Bronchiolitis Severity Assessment Tool

• DOI: 10.1097/01.pec.0000215136.44286.8f
• Publication Date: 2006-05-19T08:11:05Z
• Authors: Paul Walsh; Adrian Gonzales; Amina Satar; Stephen J. Rothen...
• Keywords: Inter-Rater Reliability; Kappa; Cohen's kappa

Background: We previously constructed and tested a bronchiolitis severity assessment tool in 2 independent hospitals. The model uses age, work of breathing, dehydration tachycardia to successfully predict disease severity. Objective: To prospectively measure the interrater reliability its component variables. Design: Prospective observational survey. Setting: A county teaching hospital emergency department serving mixed urban rural population with an medicine residency program 2-3-4 format. Subjects: Thirty-two physicians evaluated convenience sample children aged less than 18 months presenting clinical diagnosis during single season. Methods: Two independently examined each patient. Each physician completed physical examination template that included variables used tool. Interrater agreement was measured for breathing as whole using weighted κ statistic. Results: One hundred forty-six cases were enrolled. Twenty-five dropped incomplete data collection. actual on overall classification 92%; expected, 73%, = 0.676; P < 0.0001. at 95%; 92%, 0.305; 86%; 0.611; showed better individual components. Conclusions: Overall this is substantial.