CRST may not effectively capture patients’ perspectives on tremor severity

The Fahn-Tolosa-Marín Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST) aligns well with examiner-reported assessments of tremor severity but fails to adequately capture the patient’s perspective, raising concerns about its effectiveness as a patient-centered outcome measure, according to a study.

In this cross-sectional analysis of 116 patients with essential tremor, data from a tertiary health system spanning 2013 to 2023 were reviewed. The global impairment was rated on a 0-100% scale, with higher scores indicating more severe impairment.

There was a significant correlation between the total CRST score and examiner-reported global assessments. However, no correlation was observed between CRST scores and patient-reported global assessments. Sub-scores from specific CRST components also showed no significant relationship with patient-reported assessments.

The study concluded that CRST scores more closely reflect examiner perceptions rather than patient experiences. The authors call for reassessing the CRST as a patient-centered outcome measure and emphasize the need for instruments better aligned with patient perspectives.

Reference
Howard SD, Singh S, Macaluso D, et al. Correlation of the clinical rating scale for tremor with a global assessment. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2024;249:108710. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2024.108710. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39729787.