Reliability and Validity of the Persian Version of the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test in Patients with Stroke

BACKGROUND: Stroke can cause balance disorders, which often lead to falls and fall-related injuries. The Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) is a balance test that has been recently translated into Persian. The reliability and validity of the Persian version of Mini-BESTest have not been assessed in patients with stroke. OBJECTIVES: To assess the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Mini-BESTest in patients with stroke. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed. Thirty patients with stroke participated in this study. Patients were tested using the Mini-BESTest according to the Persian instructions, and two raters independently rated each patient’s performance. Each patient was matched with a healthy adult in the terms of age and gender. Healthy subjects were also tested for discriminative validity. RESULTS: There was excellent correlation between two raters on the Persian version of the Mini-BESTest total scores (r(Pearson) = 0.98, P < 0.001) and its sections (r(Pearson) > 0.9). There was a significant difference between stroke patients and healthy subjects confirming the discriminative validity of the Persian version of the Mini-BESTest (19.4 ± 5.4 vs. 24.8 ± 2.3, P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS: We only assessed stroke patients, and the results may not be generalized to other patients with balance deficits. CONCLUSIONS: The Persian version of the Mini-BESTest is a reliable and valid tool for balance evaluation of stroke patients.