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Master of Public Health

Long-term test-retest reliability of the vestibular/ocular motor screening for concussion in child athletes: A preliminary study

AUTHORS

Moran RN , Bretzin AC , . Applied neuropsychology. Child. 2023 1 2; (). 1-6

ABSTRACT

The Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) is a sport-related concussion screening tool that assesses vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) and oculomotor symptom provocation. Long-term test-retest reliability of the VOMS over multiple athletic seasons has not yet been established in a pediatric population. Fifty-one child athletes (females = 28, 54.9%) 8-13 years of age, completed a baseline VOMS assessment at two timepoints, 18 months apart. Cronbach’s alpha was used to examine the internal consistency at both time points. Two-way mixed intra-class correlation coefficients and Cohen’s Kappa statistics were used to evaluate test-retest reliability. High internal consistency existed at both initial ( = 0.91) and follow-up ( = 0.95) for VOMS symptom provocation items. Strong inter-item correlations were noted between vertical VOR ( = ≥0.70) and visual motion sensitivity (VMS) ( = ≥0.70). Fair agreement was produced for convergence ( = 0.23, vertical VOR ( = 0.25) and VMS ( = 0.25), as well as reliability on NPC distance (ICC = 0.31). All other VOMS scores yielded poor agreement between time points. Symptom provocation was the same for 49% of athletes between timepoints, while 31.4% had a decrease in scoring at follow-up. Symptom provocation from VOMS tasks lessened with increasing age and time; therefore, clinicians should consider annual baseline testing to improve accuracy for concussion evaluation and management in pediatrics.

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