Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the measurement properties of the Functional Test of
the Hemiparetic Upper Extremity (FTHUE) and examine how its score may or may not
inform design of a rehabilitation program. DESIGN:
The FTHUE was recently used in
the Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Arm Rehabilitation Evaluation randomized
controlled trial. This circumstance provided the opportunity to examine the
psychometric properties of the FTHUE as it pertains to contemporary poststroke
rehabilitation and recovery models. SETTING: Outpatient rehabilitation clinic.
PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N=109; mean age, 61.2+/-13.5y; mean days poststroke,
46+/-20.3) with resultant hemiparesis in the upper extremity. INTERVENTIONS: Not
applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dimensionality was examined with confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA), and person and item measures were derived with Rasch item
response analysis. Therapists' notes were also reviewed. RESULTS: The CFA results
support unidimensionality, and 16 of 17 items fit the Rasch model. The Rasch
person separation (2.17) and item separation (4.50) indices, ability strata
(3.22), person reliability (.82), and item reliability (.95) indicate good
measurement properties. Item difficulties ranked from -6.46 to 3.43 logits;
however, there was a substantial ceiling effect of person measures. Post hoc
examination of therapists' written observations indicated that the scoring
criteria are not sensitive to the movement strategy used for task completion.
CONCLUSIONS: The FTHUE's item difficulty hierarchy indicated that scores
adequately distinguished the ability to perform simple versus complex motor
movements of functional tasks. However, the FTHUE scoring method did not allow
inclusion of the type of movement strategy used to accomplish task items.
Therefore, we suggest modifications to the FTHUE that would allow it to be used
for collaborative treatment planning and align well with more contemporary
perspectives on treatment theory.
CI - Copyright (c) 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS