Test–Retest Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change of the 6-Minute Step Test and 1-Minute Sit-to-Stand Test in Post-COVID-19 Patients
Patchareeya Amput, Weerasak Tapanya, Sirima Wongphon, Krittin Naravejsakul, Thanakorn Sritiyot
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aims to determine test-retest reliability and to calculate minimal detectable change (MDC) scores for the functional capacity of the 6-minute step test (6MST) and 1 min sit-to-stand test (1-min-STST), and compare these outcomes with the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in post-COVID-19 patients. METHODS: A total of 42 post-COVID-19 patients aged 18 years or older were recruited for this study. The post-COVID-19 patients were investigated for cardiovascular response parameters induced by a 6MWT, 6MST, and 1-min-STST on two different days, with a five-day interval between the first and second days. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability obtained between the initial measurement and the measurement recorded five days later in the post-COVID-19 patients was excellent for all three of the 6MWT, 6MST, and 1-min-STST. The ICC of the 6MWT was 0.97 with MDC95 at 5.57%. The ICC of the 6MST was 0.93 with MDC95 at 12.21%, while, the ICC of the 1-min-STST was 0.96 with MDC95 at 3.61%. CONCLUSIONS: The 6MST and 1-min-STST were valid and acceptable for the evaluation of functional capacity in post- COVID-19 patients and can be used to investigate whether each post-COVID-19 patient had made significant improvement in a clinical setting.