The fundamental study for the standardisation and objectification of pattern identification in traditional Korean medicine for stroke (SOPI-Stroke): Development and interobserver agreement of the Korean standard pattern identification for stroke (K-SPI-St

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to verify the reliability of the 'Korean Standard Pattern Identification for Stroke (K-SPI-Stroke), by investigating the level of interobserver agreement.MethodsInterobserver agreement was studied among physicians from 11 Korean oriental medical hospitals from September 2006 to December 2010. Each patient was independently diagnosed by two physicians from the same site using Pattern Identification (PI). The interobserver agreement of PI for K-SPI-Stroke was assessed using simple percentage agreement and Cohen's kappa coefficient statistics.ResultsA total of 4012 patients were included in the study. The interobserver agreement for PI in all subjects was considered as 'moderate to good' (k = 0.66). The interobserver agreement in each site ranged from 'moderate to good' to 'excellent' (k = 0.52-0.83). Five sites were rated as 'excellent' (k ≥ 0.75) with respect to their interobserver agreement.ConclusionThis article's results indicated a satisfactory interobserver agreement for PI in Korean stroke patients. The results of this study will help develop quantitative measures to evaluate and standardise the scientific criteria in traditional Korean medicine.