The Adapted Fresno test for speech pathologists, social workers, and dieticians/nutritionists: validation and reliability testing

PURPOSE The current versions of the Adapted Fresno test (AFT) are limited to physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and new scenarios and scoring rubrics are required for other allied health disciplines. The aim of this study was to examine the validity, reliability, and internal consistency of the AFT developed for speech pathologists (SPs), social workers (SWs), and dieticians/nutritionists (DNs). MATERIALS AND METHODS An expert panel from each discipline was formed to content-validate the AFT. A draft instrument, including clinical scenarios, questionnaire, and scoring rubric, was developed. The new versions were completed by ten SPs, 16 SWs, and 12 DNs, and scored by four raters. Interrater reliability was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (2,1) for the individual AFT items and the total score. The internal consistency of the AFT was examined using Cronbach's α. RESULTS Two new clinical scenarios and a revised scoring rubric were developed for each discipline. The reliability among raters was excellent for questions 1, 3, and 6 across all disciplines. Question 7 showed excellent reliability for SPs, but not for SWs and DNs. All other reliability coefficients increased to moderate or excellent levels following training. Cronbach's α was 0.71 for SPs, 0.68 for SWs, and 0.74 for DNs, indicating that internal consistency was acceptable for all disciplines. CONCLUSION There is preliminary evidence to show that AFT is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of evidence-based practice knowledge and skills of SPs, SWs, and DNs. Further research is required to establish its sensitivity to detect change in knowledge and skills following an educational program.