Functional capacity tests in young people with cystic fibrosis

Physiotherapists working with young people with cystic fibrosis need a variety of simply administered portable tests of functional capacity suitable for the hospital bedside, clinic, home and community settings. There is no information relating to the reliability of tests such as the six-minute walk test and jump tests in young people with cystic fibrosis within the acute inpatient setting. Test-retest reliability of two selfpaced jump tests (astride jumps and forwards-backwards jumps) and the six-minute walk test were examined in sixteen young people with cystic fibrosis (mean age 13.1years ± 2.7). Outcome measures used in this study include number of jumps and time to fatigue (jump tests), or distance walked (walk test); physiological (heart rate, oxygen saturation) and breathlessness (modified Borg scale, fifteen-count breathlessness score). Cronbach’s alpha Two-Way Mixed Intra-Class Correlation showed moderate to high reliability of all study measures (range r = 0.54-0.93). The findings from this reliability study contribute to the evidence base for physiotherapy practice, strengthening the clinical usefulness of the jump tests and six-minute walk test in young people with cystic fibrosis within the acute inpatient setting. Mandrusiak A, Maurer C, MacDonald J, Wilson C, Watter P. (2009): Functional capacity tests in young people with cystic fibrosis. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy 37(1): 13-16.