When to use agreement versus reliability measures

Reproducibility concerns the degree to which repeated measurements provide similar results. Agreement parameters assess how close the results of the repeated measurements are, by estimating the measurement error in repeated measurements. Reliability parameters assess whether study objects, often per...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical epidemiology 2006-10, Vol.59 (10), p.1033-1039
Main Authors: de Vet, Henrica C.W., Terwee, Caroline B., Knol, Dirk L., Bouter, Lex M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agreement
Agreements
Biological and medical sciences
Epidemiology
General aspects
Heterogeneity
Humans
Measurement error
Measurement instruments
Medical sciences
Methodology
Miscellaneous
Observer Variation
Outcome Assessment (Health Care) - methods
Outcome Assessment (Health Care) - standards
Physical Therapy Modalities
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Range of Motion, Articular
Reliability
Repeated measurements
Reproducibility
Reproducibility of Results
Research Design
Shoulder Pain - physiopathology
Shoulder Pain - rehabilitation
Studies
Terminology as Topic
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Summary:Reproducibility concerns the degree to which repeated measurements provide similar results. Agreement parameters assess how close the results of the repeated measurements are, by estimating the measurement error in repeated measurements. Reliability parameters assess whether study objects, often persons, can be distinguished from each other, despite measurement errors. In that case, the measurement error is related to the variability between persons. Consequently, reliability parameters are highly dependent on the heterogeneity of the study sample, while the agreement parameters, based on measurement error, are more a pure characteristic of the measurement instrument. Using an example of an interrater study, in which different physical therapists measure the range of motion of the arm in patients with shoulder complaints, the differences and relationships between reliability and agreement parameters for continuous variables are illustrated. If the research question concerns the distinction of persons, reliability parameters are the most appropriate. But if the aim is to measure change in health status, which is often the case in clinical practice, parameters of agreement are preferred.
ISSN:0895-4356
1878-5921
DOI:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2005.10.015