Objective measuring of Activities of Daily Living by patients with stroke

Abstract

ABSTRACT • Background: Patients with stroke might show deterioration performance during their follow-up treatments in comparison with their motor capacity at the moment they were discharged from a rehabilitation centre. Monitoring of daily-life performance by stroke survivors at home is essential for optimal aftercare. Therefore a system (INTERACTION) which monitors Activities of Daily Living (ADL) performance was developed. INTERACTION consists of clothing and footwear in which sensors are processed. These sensors measured kinetics and kinematics by using force sensors and inertial motion sensors. Problem is that there are at present no objective measures to quantify or objectify daily-life activities. Currently, daily-life activities are measured by subjective questionnaires and a-specific clinical tests. Knowledge about the relationship between patients' daily-life performance, daily-life questionnaires and a-specific clinical tests of Walking Ability (WA) is necessary before INTERACTION can be used at home. • Aim: The aim of the pilot study is to investigate the relation between INTERACTION and patient's ADL performance, ADL questionnaires and a-specific clinical tests which consists of ADL activities focused on WA. • Methods: An explorative cross-sectional pilot study was used to determine the relationship between patient's ADL performance (climbing stairs), ADL questionnaire (Barthel Index), a-specific clinical tests consists of ADL (Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go test and 10 Meter Walk Test) and INTERACTION (foot position (X,Y), Centre of Mass). All clinical tests, ADL performance and the questionnaire will be correlated by a newly developed static and dynamic balance measure, measured with INTERACTION. The degree of correlation is calculated by using of the Spearman’s Rank correlation and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. • Results: 8 patients [M=6/W=2, age 66.3 ±SD 7.8] participated in the study. The correlation between static balance and separate components of the Berg Balance Scale varied from -0.4954 to -0.7829. The correlation between dynamic balance and10 Meter Walk Test, Timed Up and Go test, climbing stairs and the dynamic items of the Berg Balance Scale varied from 0.4039 to 0.5191. There was a correlation of 0.5294 between the average of static balance, dynamic balance and quasi static balance to the Barthel Index. • Conclusion: This pilot study found a moderate to strong correlation between patient's ADL performance, ADL questionnaires and a-specific clinical tests focused on WA and INTERACTION.