INTRODUCTION: A reliable method of measuring the severity of inflammatory conditions of the lactating breast (ICLB) enables health care professionals to provide individual care for mothers. There is a need to triage and prioritize mothers with severe ICLB symptoms reliably. The aim of this study was to determine the inter-scenario reliability of the Breast Inflammatory Symptoms Severity Index when completed electronically by the mother, verbally administered over the phone by administration staff and when completed face-to-face by a health care professional before treatment. METHODS: An inter-scenario, repeated measures reliability study of the Index, which is an 80-point clinician-administered patient-reported outcome measure used to assess and monitor mothers with symptoms of inflammatory conditions of the lactating breast. The study was conducted with mothers across 3 scenarios with symptoms of inflammatory conditions of the lactating breast in Australia. Standard Error of Measurement (SEM), Measurement Error (ME) and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to determine interscenario reliability of the Index. RESULTS: Data were collected for 20 mothers. Statistical analysis identified that the Index had good reliability among the three scenarios, evidenced by low measurement errors and high correlation. When comparing administration mode, phone method was more reliable than electronic administration. CONCLUSIONS: Interscenario reliability was good, aiding the use of the Index in the community, research and clinical practice. This tool provides lactating mothers who experience lactating breast conditions and their clinicians with surety that they are using a reliable outcome measure for assessment when taken electronically or via phone.
Mckenna et al. (2026) studied this question.