Test-retest reliability and validity of the comprehensive activities of daily living measure in patients with stroke.

OBJECTIVE To examine the test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and predictive validity of the comprehensive activities of daily living (CADL) measure in patients with stroke. DESIGN A repeated-assessments design, 10-14 days apart, was used to examine test-retest reliability in 70 patients. In the validity study, a further 168 patients were assessed at 6 months and 1 year after stroke. SETTING Three rehabilitation units. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The CADL measure, providing Rasch-calibrated scores, assesses the entire continuum of basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Both domains (self-care and mobility) of the stroke-specific quality of life questionnaire (SS-QOL) were used to examine the convergent validity. The summary score of the SS-QOL was used as the criterion for examining the predictive validity of the CADL measure. RESULTS The test-retest reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.96). The CADL measure and both domains of the SS-QOL exhibited strong associations at 6 months and 1 year post-stroke (Pearson's r ≥ 0.77). The score of the CADL at 6 months post-stroke was highly correlated with that of the SS-QOL at 1 year post-stroke (r = 0.75). CONCLUSION The CADL measure showed satisfactory test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and predictive validity in patients with stroke.