Botulinum toxin A injection for post-stroke upper limb spasticity and rehabilitation practices from centers across Asian countries.

Purpose: Describe real-life practice and outcomes in the management of post-stroke upper limb spasticity with botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) in Asian settings. Methods: Subgroup analysis of a prospective, observational study (NCT01020500) of adult patients (≥18 years) with post-stroke upper limb spasticity presenting for routine spasticity management, including treatment with BoNT-A. The primary outcome was goal attainment as assessed using goal-attainment scaling (GAS). Patients baseline clinical characteristics and BoNT-A injection parameters are also described. Results: Overall, 51 patients from Asia were enrolled. Rates of comorbid cognitive and emotional problems were relatively low. Patients tended to have more severe distal limb spasticity and to prioritize active over passive function goals. Most (94.1%) patients in the subgroup were treated with abobotulinumtoxinA. For these patients, the median total dose was 500 units, and the most frequently injected muscles were the biceps brachii (83.3%), flexor carpi radialis (72.9%), and flexor digitorum profundus (66.7%). Overall, 74.5% achieved their primary goal and the mean GAS T score after one treatment cycle was 56.0 ± 13.0, with a change from baseline of 20.9 ± 14.3 (p < 0.001). The majority (96.1%) of Asian patients were rated as having improved. Conclusion: In the Asian treatment setting, BoNT-A demonstrated a clinically significant effect on goal attainment for the real-life management of upper limb spasticity following stroke.

Heat and Acupuncture to Manage Osteoarthritis of the Knee (HARMOKnee): Protocol for an Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of most prevalent and fastest-growing causes of pain, impaired mobility, and poor quality of life in the rapidly aging population worldwide. There is a lack of high-quality evidence on the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), particularly acupuncture, and a lack of KOA practice guidelines that are tailored to unique population demographics and tropical climates. OBJECTIVE: Our HARMOKnee (Heat and Acupuncture to Manage Osteoarthritis of the Knee) trial aims to address these gaps by evaluating the short- and medium-term clinical and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture with heat therapy in addition to standard care, compared to standard care alone. Through a robust process and economic evaluation, we aim to inform evidence-based practice for patients with KOA to facilitate the large-scale implementation of a comprehensive and holistic model of care that harmonizes elements of Western medicine and TCM. We hypothesize that acupuncture with heat therapy as an adjunct to standard care is clinically more effective than standard care alone. METHODS: A multicenter, pragmatic, parallel-arm, single-blinded, effectiveness-implementation hybrid randomized controlled trial will be conducted. We intend to recruit 100 patients with KOA randomized to either the control arm (standard care only) or intervention arm (acupuncture with heat therapy, in addition to standard care). The inclusion criteria are being a community ambulator and having primary KOA, excluding patients with secondary arthritis or previous knee replacements. The primary outcome measure is the Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score at 6 weeks. Secondary outcome measures include psychological, physical, quality of life, satisfaction, and global outcome measures at 6, 12, and 26 weeks. A mixed method approach through an embedded process evaluation will facilitate large-scale implementation. An economic evaluation will be performed to assess financial sustainability. RESULTS: Patient enrollment has been ongoing since August 2022. The recruitment process is anticipated to conclude by July 2024, and the findings will be analyzed and publicized as they are obtained. As of November 6, 2023, our patient enrollment stands at 65 individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our HARMOKnee study will contribute substantial evidence to the current body of literature regarding the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for KOA. Additionally, we aim to facilitate the creation of standardized national guidelines for evidence-based practice that are specifically tailored to our unique population demographics. Furthermore, we seek to promote the adoption and integration of acupuncture and heat therapy into existing treatment models. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05507619; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05507619. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/54352.

Ultrasound Assessment of Changes in Muscle Architecture of the Brachialis Muscle After Stroke-A Prospective Study.

Objective: To investigate changes in ultrasound-derived muscle architecture parameters of the brachialis and correlations in patients with subacute stroke. Design: Prospective longitudinal observational study. Setting: Tertiary inpatient rehabilitation center. Participants: Fifty adult patients (N=50) who were recruited within the first month poststroke. The patients had a mean age of 57.2±12.3 years and 68.0% were male. The majority of patients had significant upper limb weakness with a low mean Motricity Index of 18.5±24.7 and median elbow flexor strength of grade 0. Intervention: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Ultrasound of the intact and hemiparetic brachialis was performed at 3-time intervals: within 1 month of stroke onset and at 1 and 6 months after first assessment. Clinical variables captured included upper limb motor power and elbow flexor spasticity. Results: Compared to the intact brachialis, there was reduced muscle thickness (1.93 cm vs 2.07 cm, 1.86 cm vs 2.08 cm, 1.85 cm vs 2.05 cm; P=.022) and increased echo intensity (63.3 arbitrary units [AU] vs 56.8 AU, 69.4 AU vs 56.6 AU, 77.4 AU vs 58.2 AU; P<.001) in the hemiparetic brachialis at all assessment intervals (baseline, 1 month, 6 months). Reduction in muscle mass was greater in older patients, with the correlation coefficient ranging from -0.30 (P=.03) at baseline to -0.50 (P<.001) at 6 months. Presence of elbow flexor spasticity at 1-month assessment interval was associated with lower muscle mass reduction (1.93 cm vs 1.74 cm; P=.017), lower echo intensity (65.1 AU vs 75.1 AU; P=.023), and longer fascicle lengths (12.92 cm vs 9.83 cm; P=.002). Conclusions: Changes including decreased muscle thickness and increased echo intensity of the hemiparetic brachialis were noted over time. Elbow flexor spasticity at 1-month assessment interval appears to mitigate against these changes.

Ultrasound Measurements of Rectus Femoris and Locomotor Outcomes in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury.

Patients with incomplete spinal cord injury have decreased mobility, and many do not recover walking ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate rectus femoris muscle thickness and echo intensity on ultrasound and functional outcomes in these patients. This was a prospective cohort study in an inpatient rehabilitation center, which recruited 40 consecutive patients with incomplete spinal cord injury. The patients underwent an ultrasound assessment at 6 weeks post-injury. Ultrasound measurements were performed using B-mode ultrasound scanning and standardized protocols. Functional outcomes on discharge, including Lower Extremity Muscle Score (LEMS), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury II (WISCI II), were measured. Rectus femoris muscle thickness was significantly correlated with discharge LEMS (Spearman's rho = 0.448; p = 0.004), FIM motor subscale (Spearman's rho = 0.595; p < 0.001), FIM walk subscale (Spearman's rho = 0.621; p < 0.001) and WISCI II (Spearman's rho = 0.531; p < 0.001). The rectus femoris echo intensity was also significantly correlated with discharge LEMS (Spearman's rho = −0.345; p = 0.029), FIM motor subscale (Spearman's rho = −0.413; p = 0.008), FIM walk subscale (Spearman's rho = −0.352; p = 0.026), and WISCI II (Spearman's rho = −0.355; p = 0.025). We report that a relationship exists between rectus femoris muscle ultrasonographic characteristics and muscle function and ambulatory outcomes after inpatient rehabilitation. Ultrasound muscle measurements are potentially useful in assessing muscle wasting and function in patients with spinal cord injury.

Changes in muscle architecture on ultrasound in patients early after stroke.

BACKGROUND: Early muscle changes are believed to occur in patients with stroke. However, there are insufficient data on the changes in muscle mass and architecture of these patients. OBJECTIVES: This study investigates differences in ultrasound-derived muscle architecture parameters of the hemiplegic upper and lower limbs in patients with subacute stroke. METHODS: This is a prospective observational study, which recruited 40 adult patients who had experienced a first ever unilateral stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic), with a duration of < 1 month post stroke. The brachialis, vastus lateralis and medial gastrocnemius on both the hemiplegic and normal side were evaluated via ultrasound. We recorded clinical variables including Motricity Index, Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM)-walk. RESULTS: We found reduced mean muscle thickness (p < 0.001) and increased echo intensity (p < 0.001) in the brachialis muscle, increased echo intensity (p = 0.002) in the vastus lateralis muscle, and reduced muscle thickness (p < 0.001) with increased echo intensity (p < 0.001) in the medial gastrocnemius muscle compared to the normal side. There were no significant correlations between ultrasound findings and Motricity Index. CONCLUSIONS: We report changes in ultrasound-derived muscle architecture in the hemiplegic limbs of patients with subacute stroke, with consistent findings of decreased muscle mass and increased echo intensity.

Burden of informal care in stroke survivors and its determinants: a prospective observational study in an Asian setting.

BACKGROUND: Informal caregiving is an integral part of post-stroke recovery with strenuous caregiving demands often resulting in caregiving burden, threatening sustainability of caregiving and potentially impacting stroke survivor's outcomes. Our study aimed to examine and quantify objective and subjective informal care burden after stroke; and to explore the factors associated with informal care burden in Singapore. METHODS: Stroke patients and their informal caregivers were recruited from all five tertiary hospitals in Singapore from December 2010 to September 2013. Informal care comprised of assistance provided by informal caregivers with any of the activities of daily living. Informal care burden was measured by patients' likelihood of requiring informal care, hours of informal care required, and informal caregivers' Zarit's Burden Score. We examined informal care burden at 3-months and 12-months post-stroke. Generalized linear regressions were applied with control variables including patients' and informal caregivers' demographic characteristics, arrangement of informal care, and patients' health status including stroke severity (measured using National Institute of Health Stroke Scale), functional status (measured using Modified Rankin Scale), self-reported depression, and common comorbidities. RESULTS: Three hundred and five patients and 263 patients were examined at 3-months and 12-months. Around 35% were female and 60% were Chinese. Sixty three percent and 49% of the patients required informal care at 3-months and 12-months point, respectively. Among those who required informal care, average hours required per week were 64.3 h at 3-months and 76.6 h at 12-months point. Patients with higher functional dependency were more likely to require informal care at both time points, and required more hours of informal care at 3-months point. Female informal caregivers and those caring for patients with higher functional dependency reported higher Zarit's Burden. While informal caregivers who worked full-time reported higher burden, those caring for married stroke patients reported lower burden at 3-months point. Informal caregivers who co-cared with foreign domestic workers, i.e.: stay-in migrant female waged domestic workers, reported lower burden. CONCLUSIONS: Informal care burden remains high up to 12-months post-stroke. Factors such as functional dependency, stroke severity, informal caregiver gender and co-caring with foreign domestic workers were associated with informal care burden.

Role of caregiver factors in outpatient medical follow-up post-stroke: observational study in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: Outpatient medical follow-up post-stroke is not only crucial for secondary prevention but is also associated with a reduced risk of rehospitalization. However, being voluntary and non-urgent, it is potentially determined by both healthcare needs and the socio-demographic context of stroke survivor-caregiver dyads. Therefore, we aimed to examine the role of caregiver factors in outpatient medical follow-up (primary care (PC) and specialist outpatient care (SOC)) post-stroke. METHOD: Stroke survivors and caregivers from the Singapore Stroke Study, a prospective, yearlong, observational study, contributed to the study sample. Participants were interviewed 3-monthly for data collection. Counts of PC and SOC visits were extracted from the National Claims Database. Poisson modelling was used to explore the association of caregiver (and patient) factors with PC/SOC visits over 0-3 months (early) and 4-12 months (late) post-stroke. RESULTS: For the current analysis, 256 stroke survivors and caregivers were included. While caregiver-reported memory problems of a stroke survivor (IRR: 0.954; 95% CI: 0.919, 0.990) and caregiver burden (IRR: 0.976; 95% CI: 0.959, 0.993) were significantly associated with lower early post-stroke PC visits, co-residing caregiver (IRR: 1.576; 95% CI: 1.040, 2.389) and negative care management strategies (IRR: 1.033; 95% CI: 1.005, 1.061) were significantly associated with higher late post-stroke SOC visits. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that the association of caregiver factors with outpatient medical follow-up varied by the type of service (i.e., PC versus SOC) and temporally. Our results support family-centred care provision by family physicians viewing caregivers not only as facilitators of care in the community but also as active members of the care team and as clients requiring care and regular assessments.

Stroke Rehabilitation Use and Caregiver Psychosocial Health Profiles in Singapore: A Latent Profile Transition Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and describe caregiver profiles based on their psychosocial health characteristics over a 12-month period and transitions among these profiles, to determine if stroke rehabilitation use at 12 months post-stroke differed by caregiver profile transition patterns, and to investigate if caregiver profiles at 3 months post-stroke moderate the association of stroke rehabilitation use at 3 months and 12 months post-stroke after accounting for covariates. DESIGN: Latent profile transition analysis of caregiver psychosocial health with stroke rehabilitation use at 12 month post-stroke as outcome. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 149 stroke patient-caregiver dyads from the Singapore Stroke Study. METHODS: Cross-sectional latent profile analyses were conducted on caregiver psychosocial health indicators of burden, depression, health status, quality of relationship with patient, and social support. Changes in latent profile classification over 3 time points (baseline, 3 months, and 12 months post-stroke) were analyzed using latent transition analysis. A transition model with stroke rehabilitation use at 12 months post-stroke as the outcome was tested after accounting for covariates. RESULTS: Two distinct caregiver psychosocial health latent profiles were found across time: nondistressed and distressed. Most caregivers were classified as nondistressed and remained nondistressed over time. Distressed caregivers at baseline were 76% likely to become nondistressed at 12 month post-stroke. Regardless of profile transition patterns, nondistressed caregivers at 12 months post-stroke tended to have cared for stroke rehabilitation nonusers at 12 months post-stroke. Patient depression explained profile classification at 3 months and 12 months post-stroke. After accounting for covariates, rehabilitation users at 3 months post-stroke tended to continue using rehabilitation at 12 months post-stroke only when they had nondistressed caregivers at 3 months post-stroke. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Whether caregiver adaptation explains the associations between the latent profile transition patterns and rehabilitation use at 12 months post-stroke should be examined. Early psychosocial health assessment and sustained support should be made available to stroke caregivers to enhance their well-being and subsequent patient rehabilitation participation.

Truncal impairment after stroke: clinical correlates, outcome and impact on ambulatory and functional outcomes after rehabilitation.

INTRODUCTION: Good trunk performance is important for activities such as sitting and standing. In a cohort of patients with stroke, we sought to evaluate changes in trunk performance after stroke, establish factors correlated to trunk performance and assess the impact of trunk performance on discharge ambulatory and functional status. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of the data of patients with stroke admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital rehabilitation centre, Singapore, over a two-year period. Data analysed included the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) of limb motor impairment and Functional Independence Measure-motor (FIM-motor) scores, which measures self-care ability. Trunk performance was assessed on the Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS). RESULTS: 577 patients with stroke (mean age 63.2 ± 11.8 years) were analysed. Truncal impairment was present in 96.4% of patients. Mean admission TIS score was 14.3 ± 6.1 and this improved to 17.2 ± 5.2 on discharge (p < 0.001). Admission TIS score was positively correlated with admission MOCA, FMA-upper limb and FMA-lower limb scores, and negatively correlated to NIHSS score and neglect. Admission TIS scores significantly predicted discharge FIM-motor scores (p < 0.001) and ambulatory status (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Truncal impairment was common and improvements in trunk performance were seen after rehabilitation. Trunk performance was significantly correlated to stroke severity, upper and lower limb motor power, cognition and neglect. As admission trunk performance predicted discharge functional and ambulatory status, it is recommended that trunk performance be evaluated for all patients with stroke.

Caregiver burden in familial caregivers and foreign domestic workers of patients with traumatic brain injury in a multi-ethnic Asian population.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors associated with caregiver burden in familial caregivers and foreign domestic workers of patients with severe traumatic brain injury. METHODS: A total of 77 caregivers were consecutively recruited, who were either familial caregivers or foreign domestic workers. All caregivers were evaluated with the Zarit Burden Index (ZBI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and General Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine factors associated with caregiver burden. RESULTS: The majority of participants were familial caregivers (N = 60), of which 70% experienced significant caregiver burden. In this group, 10.0% caregivers had clinically significant depression and 16.7% caregivers who had clinically significant anxiety. On multivariate analysis, factors found to be associated with caregiver burden were Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) of <7, presence of neuropsychiatric complications, and presence of anxiety. There was also a high prevalence of caregiver burden in foreign domestic workers (29.4%). CONCLUSION: There is a high rate of caregiver burden in both familial caregivers and foreign domestic workers who care for patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Caregivers experiencing stress should also be monitored for the presence of anxiety or depression.

Dyadic approach to supervised community rehabilitation participation in an Asian setting post-stroke: exploring the role of caregiver and patient characteristics in a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To study the association of caregiver factors and stroke survivor factors with supervised community rehabilitation (SCR) participation over the first 3 months and subsequent 3 to 12 months post-stroke in an Asian setting. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Community setting. PARTICIPANTS: We recruited stroke survivors and their caregivers into our yearlong cohort. Caregiver and stroke survivor variables were collected over 3-monthly intervals. We performed logistic regression with the outcome variable being SCR participation post-stroke. OUTCOME MEASURES: SCR participation over the first 3 months and subsequent 3 to 12 months post-stroke RESULTS: 251 stroke survivor-caregiver dyads were available for the current analysis. The mean age of caregivers was 50.1 years, with the majority being female, married and co-residing with the stroke survivor. There were 61%, 28%, 4% and 7% of spousal, adult-child, sibling and other caregivers. The odds of SCR participation decreased by about 15% for every unit increase in caregiver-reported stroke survivor's disruptive behaviour score (OR: 0.845; 95% CI: 0.769 to 0.929). For every 1-unit increase in the caregiver's positive management strategy score, the odds of using SCR service increased by about 4% (OR: 1.039; 95% CI: 1.011 to 1.068). CONCLUSION: We established that SCR participation is jointly determined by both caregiver and stroke survivor factors, with factors varying over the early and late post-stroke period. Our results support the adoption of a dyadic or more inclusive approach for studying the utilisation of community rehabilitation services, giving due consideration to both the stroke survivors and their caregivers. Adopting a stroke survivor-caregiver dyadic approach in practice settings should include promotion of positive care management strategies, comprehensive caregiving training including both physical and behavioural dimensions, active engagement of caregivers in rehabilitation journey and conducting regular caregiver needs assessments in the community.

Use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Outcomes in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Prospective Observational Pilot Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy and rehabilitation outcomes, specifically disability and quality of life (QOL), in a real-world setting of multi-ethnic Asian patients with first-ever stroke. METHODS: In this prospective observational pilot cohort study, we included patients with first-ever stroke admitted to two inpatient rehabilitation centres in Singapore between January and July 2018. Outcomes were measured using Functional Independence Measure (FIM)-motor scale, modified Barthel Index (MBI) and the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 generic (SAQOL-39g) questionnaire. Linear regression was used to assess the association between SSRI therapy and outcomes. Regression coefficients and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. RESULTS: Among 57 patients included for analyses, 38.6% received SSRIs. Although SSRI therapy was significantly associated with gains in MBI (coefficient 11.35; 95% CI 0.21-22.50) and SAQOL-39g overall score (coefficient 0.45; 95% CI 0.05-0.85) based on simple linear regression, no significant association between SSRI therapy and any of the investigated outcomes was found after adjustment for confounders. However, an increase in the mean number of physiotherapy and occupational therapy (PT/OT) sessions per day significantly improved FIM-motor (coefficient 16.86; 95% CI 2.64-31.07) and MBI (coefficient 22.79; 95% CI 2.35-43.23) scores. CONCLUSION: SSRI therapy did not improve disability and QOL in multi-ethnic Asian patients with first-ever stroke undergoing rehabilitation.

Dyadic approach to post-stroke hospitalizations: role of caregiver and patient characteristics.

AIM: To study the association of caregiver factors and stroke patient factors with rehospitalizations over the first 3 months and subsequent 3-12 months post-stroke in Singapore. METHODS: Patients with stroke and their caregivers were recruited in the Singapore Stroke Study, a prospective yearlong cohort. While caregiver and patient variables were taken from this study, hospitalization data were extracted from the national claims database. We used Poisson modelling to perform bivariate and multivariable analysis with counts of hospitalization as the outcome. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-six patient with stroke and caregiver dyads (N = 512) were analysed, with patients having spouse (60%), child (29%), sibling (4%) and other (7%) as their caregivers. Among all participants, 89% of index strokes were ischemic, 57% were mild in severity and more than half (59%) of the patients had moderate or severe disability post-stroke as measured on the Modified Rankin Scale. Having social support in the form of a foreign domestic worker for general help of caregiver reduced the hospitalization rate over 3 months post-stroke by 66% (IRR: 0.342; 95% CI: 0.180, 0.651). Compared to having a spousal caregiver, those with a child caregiver had an almost three times greater rate of hospitalizations over 3-12 months post-stroke (IRR: 2.896; 95% CI: 1.399, 5.992). Higher reported caregiving burden at the 3-month point was associated with the higher subsequent rate of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Recommendations include the adoption of a dyadic or holistic approach to post-stroke care provision by healthcare practitioners, giving due importance to both patients with stroke and their caregivers, integrating caregivers in the healthcare system to extend the care continuum to include informal care in the community and provision of timely support for caregivers.

The Validity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Patients: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to pilot the use of Montreal Cognitive Assessment as a quick clinical screen for cognitive assessment in traumatic brain injury patients. DESIGN: The study recruited 61 participants with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury presenting to a tertiary rehabilitation center under the Brain Injury Program. A Montreal Cognitive Assessment questionnaire and neuropsychological battery (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status and Color Trails Test) were administered to participants who had completed inpatient rehabilitation. RESULTS: Receiver operating characteristic analysis for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment revealed an optimal balance of sensitivity and specificity at 24/25 to discriminate participants who were classified as less than 5th centile on the Total Scale Index on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. This achieved a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 73.9%, 86.5%, 77.3%, and 84.2%, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic analysis for the trail making subtest of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment achieved a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 79.4%, 74.1%, 79.4%, and 74.1% in identifying patients classified as less than 5th centile on Color Trail Test part 2. CONCLUSIONS: The use of Montreal Cognitive Assessment displayed good validity in identifying patients with clinically significant impairment on a standard neuropsychological assessment battery in the study population. However, it may lack sensitivity for estimating mild levels of impairment.

Interview Functional Independence Measure score: self-reporting as a simpler alternative to multidisciplinary functional assessment.

INTRODUCTION: The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is a validated, objective assessment of functional status. It is widely used in rehabilitation centres but may not be practical for all patients due to time and/or personnel constraints. Studies show positive and negative agreement on self-reported FIM scores for patients with spinal cord injuries and amputees. We tested the validity of the self-reported FIM motor score among stroke patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective double-blind comparative study of patient self-reporting against multidisciplinary assessment, using the standard FIM algorithm. All eligible stroke patients (n = 47) admitted to our rehabilitation centre were included. 33 patients were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: There was substantial agreement on overall FIM motor score between patient self-reporting and multidisciplinary assessment (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] 0.651, 95% confidence interval 0.404-0.811). The scores of individual motor items also showed fair-to-good agreement (ICC range 0.431-0.618), except for eating, grooming, bathing and dressing of the lower body (ICC < 0.400). CONCLUSION: There was no FIM assessment for 14 (29.8%) patients, highlighting the need for alternative assessment tools. Discrepancies in some scores could be due to patients' ignorance of their own limitations or feelings of embarrassment about reporting. Our results may not be valid for patient populations with cognitive or communication deficits. However, a modest agreement between patient self-reporting and multidisciplinary assessment of FIM motor score was demonstrated. Although patients tend to overrate their performance, self-reported FIM motor scores could be an alternative in situations where multidisciplinary FIM assessment is difficult.

Can caregivers report their care recipients' post-stroke hospitalizations and outpatient visits accurately? Findings of an Asian prospective stroke cohort.

BACKGROUND: Health services research aimed at understanding service use and improving resource allocation often relies on collecting subjectively reported or proxy-reported healthcare service utilization (HSU) data. It is important to know the discrepancies in such self or proxy reports, as they have significant financial and policy implications. In high-dependency populations, such as stroke survivors, with varying levels of cognitive impairment and dysphasia, caregivers are often potential sources of stroke survivors' HSU information. Most of the work conducted on agreement analysis to date has focused on validating different sources of self-reported data, with few studies exploring the validity of caregiver-reported data. Addressing this gap, our study aimed to quantify the agreement across the caregiver-reported and national claims-based HSU of stroke patients. METHODS: A prospective study comprising multi-ethnic stroke patient and caregiver dyads (N = 485) in Singapore was the basis of the current analysis, which used linked national claims records. Caregiver-reported health services data were collected via face-to-face and telephone interviews, and similar health services data were extracted from the national claims records. The main outcome variable was the modified intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), which provided the level of agreement across both data sources. We further identified the amount of over- or under-reporting by caregivers across different service types. RESULTS: We observed variations in agreement for different health services, with agreement across caregiver reports and national claims records being the highest for outpatient visits (specialist and primary care), followed by hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Interestingly, caregivers over-reported hospitalizations by approximately 49% and under-reported specialist and primary care visits by approximately 20 to 30%. CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of the caregiver-reported HSU of stroke patients varies across different service types. Relatively more objective data sources, such as national claims records, should be considered as a first choice for quantifying health care usage before considering caregiver-reported usage. Caregiver-reported outpatient service use was relatively more accurate than inpatient service use over shorter recall periods. Therefore, in situations where objective data sources are limited, caregiver-reported outpatient information can be considered for low volumes of healthcare consumption, using an appropriate correction to account for potential under-reporting.

A Doppler-Tolerant Ultrasonic Multiple Access Localization System for Human Gait Analysis.

Ranging based on ultrasonic sensors can be used for tracking wearable mobile nodes accurately for a long duration and can be a cost-effective method for human movement analysis in rehabilitation clinics. In this paper, we present a Doppler-tolerant ultrasonic multiple access localization system to analyze gait parameters in human subjects. We employ multiple access methods using linear chirp wave-forms and narrow-band piezoelectric transducers. A Doppler shift compensation Technique is also incorporated without compromising on the tracking accuracy. The system developed was used for tracking the trajectory of both lower limbs of five healthy adults during a treadmill walk. An optical motion capture system was used as the reference to compare the performance. The average Root Mean Square Error values between the 3D coordinates estimated from the proposed system and the reference system while tracking both lower limbs during treadmill walk experiment by 5 subjects were found to be 16.75, 14.68 and 20.20 mm respectively along X, Y and Z-directions. Errors in the estimation of spatial and temporal parameters from the proposed system were also quantified. These promising results show that narrowband ultrasonic sensors can be utilized to accurately track more than one mobile node for human gait analysis.

Early AbobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport®) in Post-Stroke Adult Upper Limb Spasticity: ONTIME Pilot Study.

The ONTIME study investigated whether early post-stroke abobotulinumtoxinA injection delays appearance or progression of upper limb spasticity (ULS) symptoms. ONTIME (NCT02321436) was a 28-week, exploratory, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of abobotulinumtoxinA 500U in patients with ULS (Modified Ashworth Scale [MAS] score ≥ 2) 2⁻12 weeks post-stroke. Patients were either symptomatic or asymptomatic (only increased MAS) at baseline. Primary efficacy outcome measure: time between injection and visit at which re-injection criteria were met (MAS ≥ 2 and ≥1, sign of symptomatic spasticity: pain, involuntary movements, impaired active or passive function). Forty-two patients were randomized (abobotulinumtoxinA 500U: n = 28; placebo: n = 14) with median 5.86 weeks since stroke. Median time to reach re-injection criteria was significantly longer for abobotulinumtoxinA (156 days) than placebo (32 days; log-rank: p = 0.0176; Wilcoxon: p = 0.0480). Eleven (39.3%) patients receiving abobotulinumtoxinA did not require re-injection for ≥28 weeks versus two (14.3%) in placebo group. In this exploratory study, early abobotulinumtoxinA treatment significantly delayed time to reach re-injection criteria compared with placebo in patients with post-stroke ULS. These findings suggest an optimal time for post-stroke spasticity management and help determine the design and sample sizes for larger confirmatory studies.