Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Mini-BESTest Balance Scale in Patients with Stroke

Objective: To determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Mini-BESTest balance scale (Mini-BESTest-Turk) and provide a culturally adapted version for use in Turkish patients with stroke. Materials and Methods: A convenience sample of 84 Turkish patients with chronic stroke (28 female, 56 male; mean age: 59.52 +/- 14.04 years) was recruited. Researchers administered the scale, for the inter-rater reliability and twice within 7 days for the test-retest reliability. Mini-BESTest reliability study was performed by calculating internal consistency. The reliability of Mini-BESTest-Turk and its subsections was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Itemtotal correlation and test-retest reliability were calculated. For structural validity, factor analysis was performed. The construct validity of Mini-BESTest-Turk and Berg Balance scale (BBS) was assessed using Spearman correlation analyses. The minimum detectable change (MDC) at 95% confidence intervals (MDC 95%) was established. Results: The Mini-BESTest-Turk demonstrated test-retest [intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.994, 95% confidence intervals: (0.981-0.998); p<0.001]. In the correlation for validation study, correlations between Mini-BESTest-Turk and BBS scores (r=0.925, p<0.001) were very strongly positive. MDC95 was 2.01 points. Conclusion: The reliability study showed that the Mini-BESTest-Turk had excellent internal consistency. The Turkish version of the Mini-BESTest scale (Mini-BESTest-Turk) seems to be a reliable and valid measure in patients with stroke. We believe that it may be useful in the follow-up of patients with stroke and clinical research. The ability to identify clinically significant changes was determined.