Development and validation of a virtual version of the Action Research Arm Test with a population of healthy control subjects and individuals with stroke

Details

Supervisors

Everard, Gauthier ; Dehem, Stéphanie

Faculty

Faculté des sciences de la motricité

Degree label

Master [60] en kinésithérapie et réadaptation

Abstract

Background: The Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) is the gold standard to assess upper-limb activity in individuals with stroke. The aim of our study was to validate a virtual version of the ARAT(ARAT-VR) in a population of healthy subjects and individuals with stroke. Methods: Thirty individuals with stroke, ten healthcare professionals and 25 HCS were recruited. Content validity was assessed by asking healthcare professionals to rate the difficulty of performing each item of the ARAT-VR in comparison to the classical Action Research Arm Test (ARAT). Concurrent validity was measured through correlation between the ARAT-VR and ARAT scores. A third of individuals with stroke and HCS were reseen in a convenient delay to measure test-retest reliability. Usability was measured thanks to the System Usability Scale (SUS). Results: On average, healthcare professionals estimated that virtual tasks movements’ difficulty was comparable to those of the classical ARAT expect for the items involving marbles. When assessing paretic hands, classical ARAT and ARAT-VR scores were strongly correlated (r = 0.84). Test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.99; p < 0.001) and usability (SUS = 82.5 [75 - 90]) were found to be excellent. Conclusion: The ARAT-VR is a valid, reliable and usable tool to assess hand’s activities among individuals with stroke, holding potential to increase assessment’s frequency and remote evaluation.