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What Is Inter-Rater Reliability?

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Reliability of a measurement signifies an evenness between successive measurements, and can be broken down into two types. Intra-rater reliability can be described as how accurately an examiner can replicate their own measurements, based on consistency between multiple measurements of the same joint position or range of motion (ROM) on the same individual under the same conditions. Inter-rater reliability can be described as the reliability between consistent measurements of the same joint position or ROM by different examiners on the same individual under the same conditions. 1 Multiple studies focusing on joint measurement and the methods used signified that intra-rater reliability was accurate when compared to inter-rater reliability. Examiners used the same universal goniometers, along with other devices to measure joint position and ROM. Their finding lead them to the conclusion of measurements taken by the same person on the same individual were more accurate, than those compared to multiple examiners taking the same measurements on the same individual. However, …show more content…

For example, in certain scientific investigations it can be beneficial not having to worry what rater measured a certain patient; the categories that each patient is placed into can be done with confidence without asking what rater measured who.2 Inter-rater reliability can relate to instruments being used in the clinic. If multiple therapists examine the same patient over the course of treatment, the reliability of the tool must be known.3 This can be beneficial to all other therapists, knowing the tool being used is reliable for recording measurements. The benefit to intra-rater is less room for error; if only one therapist is measuring and recording data of a patient, then there will be no questioning of what’s being recorded, if their what they’re recording is

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