Use of the Physical Abilities and Mobility Scale (PAMS) in Children Receiving Inpatient Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Related Paralysis

Objectives: To investigate the performance of the Physical Abilities and Mobility Scale (PAMS) in children receiving inpatient rehabilitation for paralysis related to spinal cord disease and injury (SCD/SCI). Methods: Participants were 146 children with paralysis related to SCD/SCI, aged 2–21, admitted between January 2010 and 2017 for inpatient rehabilitation at a single free-standing academically affiliated pediatric rehabilitation hospital. Retrospective chart review was performed to obtain admission and discharge scores on the PAMS and the functional independence measure for children (WeeFIM®), collected as part of clinical care. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated through overall agreement, Pearson correlations, and intraclass correlations. Construct validity was examined through exploratory factor analysis. Criterion validity was explored through correlations of PAMS overall and item scores with WeeFIM® total and subscale scores. Sensitivity to change was tested using paired t-tests examining differences between admission and discharge scores for each item and for the total score on the PAMS. Results: Internal consistency and inter-rater reliability were high (0.94 at admission and 0.95 at discharge). Total PAMS scores are highly correlated with total WeeFIM®, mobility, self-care, and cognitive subscores at admission and discharge. Correlations with the WeeFIM® ranged from low (cognitive) to strong (mobility). Total PAMS score and all individual items increased significantly between admission and discharge. Conclusions: The PAMS is a useful measure capturing incremental and granular functional motor skills changes occurring during inpatient rehabilitation for children with spinal cord-related paralysis.