Effects of dual-task interference on dexterity performance in people with mild to moderately severe Parkinson's disease: An observational analysis.

BACKGROUND: Debilitating problems with hand function experienced by people with Parkinson's disease (PD) can worsen during multitasking. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of dual-task interference on a pegboard task in people with mild to moderately severe PD. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive analysis. METHODS: A secondary analysis of baseline data from the ParkinsonNet physiotherapy study conducted in 2006 in the Netherlands. The 9-hole peg test was performed with the more affected hand under single- and dual-task conditions. In dual-task trials, a cognitive task was added. The patient specific index-Parkinson's disease identified two functional priority groups-those reporting arm and hand problems as a priority for allied health management ("upper extremity priority") and those prioritizing other issues ("other priority"). We investigated differences in single- and dual-task performance at different levels of disease severity (Hoehn and Yahr stage) and for the two priority groups, and calculated the dual-task effect. RESULTS: Participants were 566 people with PD (Hoehn and Yahr stages I-IV). Dual-task interference occurred at each disease stage. Significant interactions existed between the task condition and disease severity (F (3, 559) = 4.28, p = 0.005) and task condition and priority group (F (1, 561) = 4.44, p = 0.036). Dual-task interference was greater in participants with more advanced disease or those prioritizing upper extremity problems. CONCLUSION: We described the effects of dual-task interference on more affected hand performance of a standardized dexterity test in a broad sample of people with PD. Dual-task interference may impact the daily lives of people with PD, especially those with more severe disease or who report arm and hand problems. It is important for clinicians to consider dual-task interference during upper extremity assessment and treatment.

Effects of Upper Limb Exercise or Training on Hand Dexterity and Function in People With Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review investigated the effects of exercise and training on hand dexterity and function outcomes in people with Parkinson disease (PD). DATA SOURCES: We searched 5 databases (MEDLINE Ovid, CINAHL, PEDro, PubMed, Cochrane Database) from inception to October 2022. STUDY SELECTION: Included studies were randomized controlled trials delivering upper limb exercise or training interventions to people with PD and evaluating 1 or more upper limb activity outcomes. Two independent reviewers screened 668 articles for inclusion. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently extracted data relating to study participants, intervention characteristics, and key outcomes. Cochrane Risk of Bias and GRADE tools assessed methodological quality of included studies, and strength of evidence for 3 outcomes: hand dexterity, self-reported hand function, and handwriting performance. Meta-analyses synthesized results for within-hand dexterity and self-reported function. RESULTS: Eighteen randomized controlled trials (n=704) with low to unclear risk of bias were identified. Experimental interventions varied considerably in their approach and treatment dose, and 3 studies focused on training handwriting. Meta-analysis showed moderate quality evidence of a small positive effect on within-hand dexterity (SMD=0.26; 95% CI 0.07, 0.44). Very low-quality evidence pointed toward a nonsignificant effect on self-reported hand function (SMD=0.67; 95% CI -0.40, 1.75). A narrative review of handwriting interventions showed low quality evidence for improved performance after training. CONCLUSIONS: There is moderate certainty of evidence supporting the use of exercise and training to address dexterity problems, but evidence remains unclear for self-reported hand function and handwriting. Our findings suggest that training could employ task-related approaches. Future research should interrogate aspects of clinical practice such as optimal dose and key ingredients for effective interventions.

Effect of digital monitoring and counselling on self-management ability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To assess a remote physiotherapist (PT) counselling intervention using self-monitoring tools for improving self-management ability, physical activity participation, and health outcomes in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Eligible participants were randomly assigned to receive group education, a Fitbit®, a self-monitoring app, and PT counselling phone calls (Immediate Group). The Delayed Group received a monthly e-newsletter until week 26, and then the intervention. The primary outcome was Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13). Participants were assessed at baseline, 27 weeks (the primary end point) and 53 weeks. Secondary outcomes included disease activity, pain, fatigue, depression, sitting/walking habits, daily physical activity time, and daily awake sedentary time. Generalized Linear Mixed-effect Models (GLMMs) were used to assess the effect of the intervention on the change of each outcome measure from the initiation to 27 weeks after the intervention. RESULTS: Analysis included 131 participants (91.6% women; 80.2% completed during the COVID-19 pandemic). The mean change of PAM-13 at 27 weeks was 4.6 (SD = 14.7) in the Immediate Group vs -1.6 (SD = 12.5) in the Delayed Group. The mean change in Delayed Group at 53 weeks (after the 26-week intervention) was 3.6 (SD = 14.6). Overall, the intervention improved PAM-13 at 27 weeks post-intervention from the GLMM analysis (adjusted coefficient: 5.3; 95% CI: 2.0, 8.7; p = <0.001). Favourable intervention effects were also found in disease activity, fatigue, depression, and self-reported walking habit. CONCLUSION: Remote counselling paired with self-monitoring tools improved self-management ability in people with RA. Findings of secondary outcomes indicate that the intervention had a positive effect on symptom management.

Pilot of a Training Format for Clinicians' Continuing Professional Development: Open House With Rotating Short Segments.

INTRODUCTION: Access to continuing professional development offered at lunchtime is limited by hospital scheduling that has staff members taking their lunch breaks at different times. To overcome this barrier, we developed a three-part training format with (1) a focus group segment soliciting participants' opinions on the training's target behavior, (2) a didactic segment introducing tools to support the behavior, and (3) a question-and-answer segment about the session topic. We rotated through these segments, each 15 minutes long, over 3 hours. Participants could join at any segment and experience the full curriculum after 45 minutes. METHODS: We piloted this training format five times at three hospitals. Our training aimed to encourage clinicians to consistently inform involuntary patients about their Mental Health Act rights. We gauged the effect of the training and participants' opinions of the session using the Continuing Professional Development Reaction questionnaire and a session evaluation, respectively. RESULTS: Continuing Professional Development-Reaction results (n = 80) showed a detectable increase in clinicians' intent to consistently give involuntary patients rights advice. Participants reported finding the training organized, informative, and valuable. DISCUSSION: The open house with rotating short segments is a feasible and adaptable training format to engage clinicians in voluntary continuing professional development.

Organizational supports for knowledge translation in paediatric health centres and research institutes: insights from a Canadian environmental scan.

BACKGROUND: Organizational supports are thought to help address wide-ranging barriers to evidence-informed health care (EIHC) and knowledge translation (KT). However, little is known about the nature of the resources and services that exist within paediatric health care and research settings across Canada to facilitate evidence use in health care delivery. This survey examined existing supports for EIHC/KT within these organizations to inform the design of similar EIHC/KT support programmes. METHODS: A national environmental scan was conducted using a bilingual online survey distributed to leaders at Canadian paediatric academic health science centres and their affiliated research institutes. Participants were invited through email, social media and webinar invitations and snowball sampling. Supports of interest included personnel, resources, services, organizational structures or processes, and partnerships or collaborations; barriers and successes were also probed. Data were compiled by site, reported using descriptive statistics, or grouped thematically. Supports were described using the AIMD (Aims, Ingredients, Mechanism, Delivery) framework. RESULTS: Thirty-one respondents from 17 sites across seven provinces represented a 49% site response rate. Eleven (65%) sites reported an on-site library with variable staffing and services. Ten (59%) sites reported a dedicated KT support unit or staff person. Supports ranged from education, resource development and consultation to protocol development, funded initiatives and collaborations. Organizations leveraged internal and external supports, with the majority also employing supports for clinical research integration. Supports perceived as most effective included personnel, targeted initiatives, leadership, interdepartmental expertise, external drivers and logistical support. Barriers included operational constraints, individual-level factors and lack of infrastructure. CONCLUSIONS: This first survey of organizational supports for EIHC/KT identified the range of supports in place in paediatric research and health care organizations across Canada. The diversity of supports reported across sites may reflect differences in resource capacity and objectives. Similarities in EIHC/KT and research integration supports suggest common infrastructure may be feasible. Moreover, stakeholder engagement in research was common, but not pervasive. Tailored support programmes can target multi-faceted barriers. Findings can inform the development, refinement and evaluation of EIHC/KT support programmes and guide the study of the effectiveness and sustainability of these strategies.

A qualitative study of clinicians' perspectives on independent rights advice for involuntary psychiatric patients in British Columbia, Canada.

BACKGROUND: In British Columbia (BC), Canada, clinicians are responsible for giving involuntary psychiatric patients rights information upon admission. Yet an investigation by the BC Office of the Ombudsperson found that clinicians are not always fulfilling this responsibility. The Ombudsperson recommended that the provincial government fund an independent body to give rights advice to patients. METHODS: To understand how clinicians feel about this recommendation, focus groups of clinicians who may give psychiatric patients rights information (n = 81) were conducted in Vancouver, BC, to probe their attitudes toward independent rights advisors. The focus group transcripts were thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Most clinicians believe that giving rights information is within their scope of practice, although some acknowledge that it poses a conflict of interest when the patient wishes to challenge the treatment team's decisions. Participants' chief concerns about an independent rights-advice service were that (a) patients may experience a delay in receiving their rights information, (b) integrating rights advisors into the workflow would complicate an already chaotic admission process, and (c) more patients would be counselled to challenge their hospitalization, leading to an increased administrative workload for clinical staff. However, many participants believed that independent rights advisors would be a positive addition to the admission process, both allowing clinicians to focus on treatment and serving as a source of rights-related information. CONCLUSIONS: Participants were generally amenable to an independent rights-advice service, suggesting that the introduction of rights advisors need not result in an adversarial relationship between treatment team and patient, as opponents of the proposal fear. Clearly distinguishing between basic rights information and in-depth rights advice could address several of the clinicians' concerns about the role that independent rights advisors would play in the involuntary admission process. Clinicians' and other stakeholders' concerns should be considered as the province develops its rights-advice service.

Hand dexterity assessment in Parkinson's disease: construct validity of the 9-Hole peg test for the more affected hand.

PURPOSE: There is limited understanding of the characteristics and evaluation of more affected hand dexterity loss in Parkinson's disease. We described 9-Hole Peg Test performance for the more affected hand and examined the construct validity of these pegboard scores in mild to severe Parkinson's disease. Methods: This observational study analysed baseline data from a cluster-randomised controlled trial.Participants (n = 582) completed the pegboard with their more affected hand, the Patient-Specific Index-Parkinson's Disease and Self-assessment Parkinson's Disease Disability Scale. Mean pegboard performance was summarised at each disease stage. To investigate known groups validity, we explored differences in pegboard scores between participants identifying upper limb problems in their 'top three' functional limitations, and those prioritising other limitations. Convergent validity investigated correlations between pegboard performance and self-reported hand function. RESULTS: Pegboard performance was reduced compared with normative values, and problems with hand activities were reported at each disease stage. Significant differences in pegboard performance between the two functional limitation priority groups (p < 0.05), and moderate correlations between pegboard dexterity and hand function (Self-assessment Parkinson's Disease Disability Scale) provided evidence for construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: People with mild to severely disabling Parkinson's disease have reduced dexterity and problems with hand function. Evidence supported the construct validity of 9-Hole Peg Test more affected hand performance.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONPeople with mild to severely disabling PD experience dexterity loss and problems with hand function.It is important for clinicians to assess dexterity and hand function in people with this movement disorder.Evidence supports the construct validity of 9-Hole Peg Test for measuring more affected hand performance in Parkinson's disease.

Examining Coronary Revascularization Practice Patterns for Diabetics: Perceived Barriers, Facilitators, and Implications for Knowledge Translation.

BACKGROUND: The FREEDOM trial provided robust evidence that coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was superior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary revascularization in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and multivessel coronary artery disease (MV-CAD). The present study examined practice pattern changes and perceived barriers and facilitators to implementing FREEDOM trial evidence in British Columbia (BC). METHODS: Using a population-based database of cardiac procedures in BC, PCI:CABG ratios from 2007-2014 were compared before and after publication of the FREEDOM trial in the 4 tertiary cardiac centres that provided both CABG and PCI. Surveys of barriers and facilitators to implementation of evidence in practice were completed by 57 health care providers (HCPs) attending educational outreach sessions conducted in 2016-17 at 5 tertiary cardiac centres in BC. RESULTS: The overall PCI:CABG ratio declined from 1.59 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48-1.70, range 1.16-1.86) before publication to 0.88 (95% CI 0.75-1.01, range 0.56-0.82) after publication (P < 0.01). This decline from before to after publication was significant in 3 centres, but not in the fourth centre (from 1.62 to 1.49; P = 0.61). Barriers were identified at the levels of evidence (applicability, credibility), HCP (awareness/knowledge, practice behaviours), patient (knowledge/misconceptions, preferences), and systems (siloing of care, financial disincentives, resource limitations, geography). Facilitators were additional studies/guidelines, education/dissemination, shared decision making, a heart team approach, changes to remuneration models, and increased resources. CONCLUSIONS: Following publication of the FREEDOM trial, the proportion of patients with DM and MV-CAD undergoing CABG increased in BC; however, practice patterns varied across cardiac centres. HCPs attributed these practice variations to multilevel barriers and facilitators. Future knowledge translation strategies should be multifaceted and tailored to identified determinants.

Construct validity of the 9-Hole Peg Test and Purdue Pegboard Test in people with mild to moderately severe Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the construct validity of two dexterity measures, the 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT) and Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT) in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: Testing was conducted at the university or in participants' homes. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty community dwelling people with mild to moderately severe PD and no major upper limb comorbidities or cognitive impairments. INTERVENTIONS: Pegboard tests were administered in the 'on' and 'end-of-dose' phases of participants' PD medication cycles. Participants rated hand function with two self-report questionnaires - the Manual Ability Measure-36 (MAM-36) and a subset of upper limb items from the MDS-UPDRS. To explore construct validity, we compared 'on' phase pegboard scores with normative values for unimpaired men and women and investigated relationships between pegboard scores and hand function questionnaires. RESULTS: In the 'on' phase, pegboard scores were poorer than normative values. Differences in individual subtest scores ranged between 10 and 41%. Correlations between self-reported hand function and pegboard scores were weak to moderately strong in the 'on' phase (r=0.21-0.51), and weak at 'end-of-dose' (r=0.13-0.22). Higher correlation coefficients were observed between hand function and PPT subtest scores than with hand function and 9HPT scores. Most participants reported difficulty with daily hand tasks. CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence for construct validity supporting the use of the 9HPT and PPT to evaluate people with mild to moderately severe PD when 'on', but not at the 'end-of-dose'. Results also suggest that the PPT may be more sensitive to PD-related changes in dexterity than the 9HPT.

Measuring Hand Dexterity in People With Parkinson's Disease: Reliability of Pegboard Tests.

IMPORTANCE: Knowledge regarding the reliability of pegboard tests when used to measure dexterity in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is currently limited. OBJECTIVE: To examine the test-retest and interrater reliability of the 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT) and Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT) in people with PD. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. For test-retest reliability, tests were completed on 2 days, 1 wk apart, in the "on" phase and "end-of-dose" period of participants' medication cycle. For interrater reliability, occupational therapists and physical therapists rated prerecorded pegboard test performance of participants with PD. SETTING: Test-retest reliability was determined in participants' homes or in a university department. Interrater reliability was determined in a university department or a hospital setting. PARTICIPANTS: Test-retest reliability was determined with volunteers diagnosed with PD (N = 30). Interrater reliability was determined with a convenience sample of occupational and physical therapists (N = 11). OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The 9HPT and PPT are commonly used measures of manual dexterity. RESULTS: PPT subtests showed higher test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs] ≥ .90) in both phases of the medication cycle compared with the 9HPT (ICCs = .70-.81). Minimal detectable change scores indicated acceptable measurement error for both tools. Interrater reliability for recorded performance of each measure was very good (ICCs > .99), with no calculable measurement error. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Although both tools showed adequate test-retest and interrater reliability, results suggest that the PPT may be a more reliable measure of dexterity loss in people with PD. WHAT THIS ARTICLE ADDS: This study informs the clinical measurement of the loss of manual dexterity in people with PD, a frequent problem reported by people living with this disorder.

Effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with robot-assisted training on wrist muscle activation post-stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of active assisted wrist extension training, using a robotic exoskeleton (RW), with simultaneous 5 Hz (rTMS + RW) or Sham rTMS (Sham rTMS + RW) over the ipsilesional extensor carpi radialis motor cortical representation, on voluntary wrist muscle activation following stroke. METHODS: The two training conditions were completed at least one week apart in 13 participants >1-year post-stroke. Voluntary wrist extensor muscle activation (motor unit (MU) recruitment thresholds and firing rate modulation in a ramp-hold handgrip task), ipsilesional corticospinal excitability (motor evoked potential [MEP] amplitude) and transcallosal inhibition were measured Pre- and Post-training. RESULTS: For MUs active both Pre and Post training, greater reductions in recruitment thresholds were found Post rTMS + RW training (p = 0.0001) compared to Sham rTMS + RW (p = 0.16). MU firing rate modulation increased following both training conditions (p = 0.001). Ipsilesional MEPs were elicited Pre and Post in only 5/13 participants. No significant changes were seen in ipsilesional corticospinal excitability and transcallosal inhibition measures (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Following a single rTMS + RW session in people >1-year post-stroke, changes were found in voluntary muscle activation of wrist extensor muscles. Alterations in ipsilesional corticospinal or interhemispheric excitability were not detected. SIGNIFICANCE: The effects of rTMS + RW on muscle activation warrant further investigation as post-stroke rehabilitation strategy.

Do Performance Measures of Strength, Balance, and Mobility Predict Quality of Life and Community Reintegration After Stroke?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent to which physical performance measures of strength, balance, and mobility taken at discharge from inpatient stroke rehabilitation can predict health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and community reintegration after 6 months. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. SETTING: University laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (N=75) recruited within 1 month of discharge home from inpatient stroke rehabilitation. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) for HRQoL and Subjective Index of Physical and Social Outcome (SIPSO) for community reintegration. Physical performance measures were the 6-minute walk test, timed Up and Go (TUG) test, Berg Balance Scale, Community Balance and Mobility Scale, and isokinetic torque and power of hip, knee, and ankle on the paretic and nonparetic sides. Other prognostic variables included age, sex, stroke type and location, comorbidities, and motor FIM score. RESULTS: Separate stepwise linear regressions were performed using the SF-36 and SIPSO as dependent variables. The total paretic lower limb torque and 6-minute walk test predicted the SF-36 Physical Component Summary (adjusted R2=.30). The total paretic lower limb torque and TUG test predicted the SIPSO physical component (adjusted R2=.47). The total paretic lower limb torque significantly predicted the SF-36 Mental Component Summary, but the adjusted R2 was low (.06). Similarly, the TUG test significantly predicted the SIPSO social component, but again the adjusted R2 was low (.09). CONCLUSIONS: Measures of physical performance including muscle strength and mobility at discharge can partially predict HRQoL and community reintegration 6 months later. Further research is necessary for more accurate predictions.

Professional and Regulatory Infection Control Guidelines: Collaboration to Promote Patient Safety.

Professional organizations and regulatory agencies collaborate on infection prevention and control guidelines to support preventing and controlling infection in the surgical setting. More specifically, regulatory and accrediting agencies, professional associations, and advisory committees create and promote the use of evidence-based recommendations for preventing surgical site infections. Many agencies perform accreditation surveys to ensure compliance with these standards and guidelines. Perioperative personnel can use these resources to implement and sustain essential processes for infection prevention and control and to facilitate staff member compliance with standards, regulations, and best practices. To guide perioperative practice, it is important for nurses to understand the role of these agencies and organizations and the resources each offers to help ensure the best patient outcomes.

Use of Rasch Analysis to Evaluate and Refine the Community Balance and Mobility Scale for Use in Ambulatory Community-Dwelling Adults Following Stroke.

BACKGROUND: The Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M) is increasingly used to evaluate walking balance following stroke. OBJECTIVE: This study applied Rasch analysis to evaluate and refine the CB&M for use in ambulatory community-dwelling adults following stroke. METHODS: The CB&M content was linked to task demands and motor skill classifications. Rasch analysis was used to evaluate internal construct validity (structural validity) and refine the CB&M for use with ambulatory community-dwelling adults following stroke. The CB&M data were collected at 3 time points: at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation and at 6 and 12 months postdischarge (N=238). Rasch analysis evaluated scale dimensionality, item and person fit, item response bias, scoring hierarchy, and targeting. Disordered scoring hierarchy was resolved by collapsing scoring categories. Highly correlated and "misfitting" items were removed. Sensitivity to change was evaluated with standardized response means (SRMs) and one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: The CB&M was primarily linked to closed body transport task demands. Significant item-trait interaction, disordered scoring hierarchies, and multidimensionality were found. Scoring categories were collapsed in 15/19 items, and 5 misfitting items were removed. The resulting stroke-specific 14-item unidimensional CB&M (CB&MStroke) fit Rasch model expectations, with no item response bias, acceptable targeting (13% floor effects and 0% ceiling effects), and moderate-to-strong sensitivity to change at 6 months postdischarge (SRM=0.63; 95% confidence interval=-1.523, -0.142) and 12 months postdischarge (SRM=0.73; 95% confidence interval=-2.318, -0.760). LIMITATIONS: Findings are limited to a modest-sized sample of individuals with mild-to-moderate balance impairment following stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The CB&MStroke shows promise as a clinical scale for measuring change in walking balance in ambulatory community-dwelling adults poststroke. Future studies are recommended in a larger sample to validate and further refine the scale for use in this clinical population.

Motor Planning for Loading During Gait in Subacute Stroke.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the characteristics of motor planning surrounding initial contact during gait through examination of thigh muscle timing, amplitude, and co-contraction of the paretic and nonparetic limbs in people poststroke, and to investigate whether muscle timing, amplitude, and clinical performance measures of balance and mobility differ based on the level of co-contraction. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: University-based research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals (n=27) in the subacute phase after stroke and healthy controls (n=8) (N=35). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Timing (onset and offset) and normalized amplitude (percent electromyography maximum) of the biceps femoris (BF) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles were measured during terminal swing and early stance. A co-contraction index (CCI) was calculated for the BF and RF muscle activity. Individuals with CCI values equal to or below the mean of the healthy group were in the low CCI group, whereas those with values above the mean were in the high CCI group. Functional balance and mobility evaluation used the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M). RESULTS: For the paretic and nonparetic limbs, measures of timing, amplitude, and co-contraction were similar for both limbs. Compared with the healthy group, the high CCI group had lower CB&M scores, longer durations, and higher levels of RF and BF muscle activity, whereas the low CCI group had electromyographic measures statistically similar to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: The motor control of gait after subacute stroke is characterized by symmetry of timing and amplitude of muscle recruitment at the knee. High co-contraction levels surrounding the knee were associated with lower functional balance and mobility. These findings suggest a compensatory strategy of increased co-contraction in those with more impairment while maintaining symmetry of lower-limb biomechanics between limbs.

Instrumenting gait assessment using the Kinect in people living with stroke: reliability and association with balance tests.

BACKGROUND: The Microsoft Kinect has been used previously to assess spatiotemporal aspects of gait; however the reliability of this system for the assessment of people following stroke has not been established. This study examined the reliability and additional information that the Kinect provides when instrumenting a gait assessment in people living with stroke. METHODS: The spatiotemporal variables of step length, step length asymmetry, foot swing velocity, foot swing velocity asymmetry, peak and mean gait speed and the percentage difference between the peak and mean gait speed were assessed during gait trials in 30 outpatients more than three months post-stroke and able to stand unsupported. Additional clinical assessments of functional reach (FR), step test (ST), 10 m walk test (10MWT) and the timed up and go (TUG) were performed, along with force platform instrumented assessments of center of pressure path length velocity during double-legged standing balance with eyes closed (DLEC), weight bearing asymmetry (WBA) and dynamic medial-lateral weight-shifting ability (MLWS). These tests were performed on two separate occasions, seven days apart for reliability assessment. Separate adjusted multiple regressions models for predicting scores on the clinical and force platform assessments were created using 1) the easily assessed clinically-derived gait variables 10MWT time and total number of steps; and 2) the Kinect-derived variables which were found to be reliable (ICC > 0.75) and not strongly correlated (Spearman's ρ < 0.80) with each other (i.e. non-redundant). RESULTS: Kinect-derived variables were found to be highly reliable (all ICCs > 0.80), but many were redundant. The final regression model using Kinect-derived variables consisted of the asymmetry scores, mean gait velocity, affected limb foot swing velocity and the difference between peak and mean gait velocity. In comparison with the clinically-derived regression model, the Kinect-derived model accounted for >15% more variance on the MLWS, ST and FR tests and scored similarly on all other measures. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, instrumenting gait using the Kinect is reliable and provides insight into the dynamic balance capacity of people living with stroke. This system provides a minimally intrusive method of examining potentially important gait characteristics in people living with stroke.

Therapists' perceptions of social media and video game technologies in upper limb rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: The application of technologies, such as video gaming and social media for rehabilitation, is garnering interest in the medical field. However, little research has examined clinicians' perspectives regarding technology adoption by their clients. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to explore therapists' perceptions of how young people and adults with hemiplegia use gaming and social media technologies in daily life and in rehabilitation, and to identify barriers to using these technologies in rehabilitation. METHODS: We conducted two focus groups comprised of ten occupational therapists/physiotherapists who provide neurorehabilitation to individuals with hemiplegia secondary to stroke or cerebral palsy. Data was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The diffusion of innovations theory provided a framework to interpret emerging themes. RESULTS: Therapists were using technology in a limited capacity. They identified barriers to using social media and gaming technology with their clients, including a lack of age appropriateness, privacy issues with social media, limited transfer of training, and a lack of accessibility of current systems. Therapists also questioned their role in the context of technology-based interventions. The opportunity for social interaction was perceived as a major benefit of integrated gaming and social media. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals the complexities associated with adopting new technologies in clinical practice, including the need to consider both client and clinician factors. Despite reporting several challenges with applying gaming and social media technology with clinical populations, therapists identified opportunities for increased social interactions and were willing to help shape the development of an upper limb training system that could more readily meet the needs of clients with hemiplegia. By considering the needs of both therapists and clients, technology developers may increase the likelihood that clinicians will adopt innovative technologies.

Evaluation of measures of upper limb functioning and disability in people with Parkinson disease: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To identify measurement tools used for upper limb evaluation in people with Parkinson disease (PD), to summarize the content of each tool using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and to examine the reliability, validity, clinical utility, and responsiveness of the measurement tools specific to this clinical group. DATA SOURCES: Two systematic searches of online databases included articles published from inception to November 2013. STUDY SELECTION: Search 1 identified upper limb measures. Search 2 retrieved studies investigating the measurement properties of these tools in people with PD. DATA EXTRACTION: Independent reviewers screened articles and extracted data, classified measurement tool content on the basis of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health content domains, and applied both the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments checklist to evaluate the study's methodological quality and a second checklist by Terwee et al to assess the measurement tool's quality. A third reviewer adjudicated differences between reviewers. Information on clinical utility was also compiled. DATA SYNTHESIS: The 18 identified measures included PD-specific scales, generic measures, and tools developed for other clinical populations; most measures evaluated impairments and/or activity limitations. Measurement properties of 10 of the 18 identified measures were evaluated in people with PD. No high-quality studies investigated validity or responsiveness. High-quality evidence supported the interrater reliability of some Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale subtests, and lower quality studies provided limited evidence for the test-retest reliability of measures evaluating fine hand function and bradykinesia. CONCLUSIONS: There are relatively few high-quality studies to support the measurement properties, particularly the validity and responsiveness, of tools currently used to evaluate upper limb disability and function in people with PD. Further research is needed to inform measurement tool selection and treatment evaluation in this clinical group.