Synchronous telehealth and face‐to‐face administration of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale
Kate L Rawnsley, Jeanie L.Y. Cheong, Katharine Bennett, Melinda L. Mahady, Suzanne Smith, Diana Zannino, Louisa Remedios, Alicia J. Spittle
Abstract
AIM: To determine the agreement between the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), when delivered via synchronous telehealth compared with face-to-face administration to assess gross motor development of infants. METHOD: In this prospective cross-sectional study, 123 infants (gestational age: mean 38.8 weeks (SD 1.8); range 31-42 weeks; male n = 65) were assessed at 4 months, 8 months, or 12 months old with two AIMS assessments: face-to-face and via synchronous telehealth. The agreement between the assessments was examined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Bland-Altman method with 95% limits of agreement. RESULTS: Agreement between AIMS assessments administered face-to-face and via synchronous telehealth had an overall ICC of 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98, 0.99) and within age group: 4 months ICC 0.72 (95% CI 0.58, 0.83), 8 months ICC 0.97 (95% CI 0.96, 0.98), and 12 months ICC 0.98 (95% CI 0.96, 0.99). INTERPRETATION: The AIMS assessment delivered via synchronous telehealth shows excellent agreement with face-to-face assessment. Telehealth is a good alternative to face-to-face AIMS assessment, particularly for older infants.