Towards objective quantification of the Tinetti test

The Tinetti test is a widespread test for assessing motor control in the elderly, which could also be usefully applied in neurology. At present it uses a qualitative measurement scale. As a first step towards its objective quantification, trunk inclination was measured during the test by two inclinometers and quantified by descriptive parameters. The 95(th) or 5(th) percentiles of parameter distributions in normal subjects (no.=150) were taken as limits of normality, and parameters computed on 130 institutionalised elderly people were compared to these limits, to test the parameters' discriminatory power. The distributions of many parameters were statistically different in normal subjects and patients. These results suggest that this approach is a promising tool for objective evaluation of the Tinetti test.