Do Neglect Assessments Detect Neglect Differently?

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We determined whether various assessment tools detect neglect differently by administering a battery of assessments to people with stroke. METHOD: We conducted a case series study and administered five neglect assessments (paper-and-pencil, functional, virtual reality) to participants poststroke. RESULTS: Twelve participants (6 men, 6 women) with stroke completed the assessment battery, which required approximately 2 hr to administer (over one to two sessions). All participants demonstrated neglect on three or more assessments. Functional assessments and the virtual reality assessment detected neglect more frequently than the paper-and-pencil assessments. Participants performed differently on the paper-and-pencil assessments and functional assessments. CONCLUSION: Because neglect is complex, detection may depend largely on the assessment administered.