Development and validation of a short form of the Fugl-Meyer motor scale in patients with stroke

Background and Purpose - The 50- item Fugl- Meyer motor scale ( FM) is commonly used in outcome studies. However, the lengthy administration time of the FM keeps it from being widely accepted for routine clinical use. We aimed to develop a short form of the FM ( the S- FM) with sound psychometric properties for stroke patients. Methods - The FM was administered to 279 patients. It was then simplified based on expert opinions and the results of Rasch analysis. The psychometric properties ( including Rasch reliability, concurrent validity, predictive validity, and responsiveness) of the S- FM were examined and were compared with those of the FM. The concurrent validity and responsiveness of the S- FM were further validated in a sample from the Netherlands. Results - We selected 6 items for each subscale to construct a 12- item S- FM. The S- FM demonstrated high Rasch reliability, high concurrent validity with the original scale, moderate responsiveness, and moderate predictive validity with the comprehensive activities of daily living function. The S- FM also showed sufficient concurrent validity and responsiveness on the Dutch sample. Conclusions - Our results provide strong evidence that the psychometric properties of the S- FM are comparable with those of the FM. The S- FM contains only 12 items, making it a very efficient measure for assessing the motor function of stroke patients in both clinical and research settings.