PMID- 12122390
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20020829
LR  - 20220410
IS  - 0147-9563 (Print)
IS  - 0147-9563 (Linking)
VI  - 31
IP  - 4
DP  - 2002 Jul-Aug
TI  - Validity and reliability of the NYHA classes for measuring research outcomes in 
      patients with cardiac disease.
PG  - 262-70
AB  - The New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification system was 
      developed to help physicians in clinical practice evaluate the effect of cardiac 
      symptoms on a patient's daily activities. Over time, the role of the NYHA 
      classification system has expanded, and it is now frequently used in clinical 
      research. This review of the literature was undertaken to explore whether the 
      NYHA classes have sufficient validity and reliability to serve as a functional 
      outcome measure in research studies. After exploring its strengths and 
      limitations, we conclude that the NYHA classes are a valid measure of functional 
      status, a concept that is distinct from functional capacity and functional 
      performance. The reproducibility of the NYHA functional classification system has 
      not been established in the literature. Researchers are urged to report the 
      methods for determining NYHA class, the training of raters, and the intra-rater 
      or inter-rater reliability in studies that have multiple raters or measurements. 
      Until the reliability of the NYHA functional classification system is determined, 
      it is prudent to refrain from using the NYHA classes as the sole outcome measure 
      of change in function in research studies of cardiac patients.
FAU - Bennett, Jill A
AU  - Bennett JA
AD  - UCSF School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
FAU - Riegel, Barbara
AU  - Riegel B
FAU - Bittner, Vera
AU  - Bittner V
FAU - Nichols, Joyce
AU  - Nichols J
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Validation Study
PL  - United States
TA  - Heart Lung
JT  - Heart & lung : the journal of critical care
JID - 0330057
SB  - IM
MH  - Clinical Trials as Topic
MH  - Exercise Test
MH  - Heart Diseases/*classification/physiopathology/therapy
MH  - Humans
MH  - Treatment Outcome
EDAT- 2002/07/18 10:00
MHDA- 2002/08/30 10:01
CRDT- 2002/07/18 10:00
PHST- 2002/07/18 10:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2002/08/30 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 2002/07/18 10:00 [entrez]
AID - S0147956302000031 [pii]
AID - 10.1067/mhl.2002.124554 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Heart Lung. 2002 Jul-Aug;31(4):262-70. doi: 10.1067/mhl.2002.124554.