An official systematic review of the European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society: measurement properties of field walking tests in chronic respiratory disease

This systematic review examined the measurement properties of the 6-min walk test (6MWT), incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT) and endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT) in adults with chronic respiratory disease. Studies that report the evaluation or use of the 6MWT, ISWT or ESWT were included. We searched electronic databases for studies published between January 2000 and September 2013. The 6-min walking distance (6MWD) is a reliable measure (intra-class correlation coefficients ranged from 0.82 to 0.99 in seven studies). There is a learning effect, with greater distance walked on the second test (pooled mean improvement of 26 m in 13 studies). Reliability was similar for ISWT and ESWT, with a learning effect…

• AT
  American Thoracic Society
• UO
  University of Washington
• JH
  Johns Hopkins University
• UO
  University of Pittsburgh
• DU
  Drexel University
• ER
  European Respiratory Society
• UH
  University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
• NI
  National Institute for Health and Care Research
• LT
  La Trobe University
• CU
  Concordia University
• KL
  KU Leuven
• UZ
  Universität Zürich
• UE
  Universidade Estadual de Londrina
• UH
  Universiteit Hasselt