A standard operating procedure for King's ALS clinical staging.

ABSTRACT: Objective: Clinical stages in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can be measured using a simple system based on the number of CNS regions involved and requirement for gastrostomy or noninvasive ventilation (NIV). We aimed to design a standard operating procedure (SOP) to define the standardized use and application of the King's staging system. Methods: We designed a SOP for the King's staging system. We wrote case vignettes representative of ALS patients at different disease stages. During two workshops, we taught health care professionals how to use the SOP, then asked them to stage the vignettes using the SOP. We measured the extent to which SOP staging corresponded with correct clinical stage. Results: The reliability of staging using the SOP was excellent, with a

SUBMITTER: Balendra R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6558284 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature