The BBS has undergone extensive reliability and
validity testing within the geriatric patient population.
8,10 The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for
interrater and test-retest reliability for the test as a whole
were 0.98 and 0.99, respectively. The ICC for individual
test items ranged from 0.71 to 0.99. Berg has suggested
that for older persons the Balance Scale is an appropriate
screening tool with respect to functional balance, is predictive
of future dysfunction, is sensitive to changes in
functional balance skills, and may be used to monitor a
patient’s status over time.9,10 The BBS is easy to administer,
does not require specialized equipment, and can be
completed in 20 minutes. A 0 to 4 grading scale provides
a quantitative and qualitative measure of performance.
An overall numeric score is obtained at the conclusion
of testing.10