Reliability of the Hazelbaker Assessment Tool for Tongue-Tie
Author Information
Author(s): Amir Lisa H, James Jennifer P, Donath Susan M
Primary Institution: Key Centre for Women's Health in Society, University of Melbourne
Hypothesis
The study aims to assess the inter-rater reliability of the Hazelbaker Assessment Tool for Lingual Frenulum Function (HATLFF).
Conclusion
The HATLFF has a high reliability in assessing infants with tongue-tie and control infants.
Supporting Evidence
- The study found 96% agreement between assessors on the recommendation for frenotomy.
- Kappa values for the first three function items indicated substantial agreement.
- The new Function Score can be assessed more simply using only the first three function items.
Takeaway
This study checked how well two doctors agreed on whether babies with tongue-tie needed a procedure to help them breastfeed better, and they found they mostly agreed.
Methodology
Infants referred for tongue-tie assessment were evaluated by two clinicians using the HATLFF, and inter-rater reliability was measured using kappa statistics.
Potential Biases
Potential bias may arise from the convenience sampling method used for selecting participants.
Limitations
The study may not generalize to all populations as it was conducted in a specific clinical setting.
Participant Demographics
Fifty-eight infants with tongue-tie (age range 1 day to 84 days, mean 17 days, 56% male) and 25 control infants (age range 7–55 days, mean 26 days).
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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