Development of the Hand Active Sensation Test: Reliability and Validity
Presented in part to the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting, February 13, 2004, Nashville, TN.
Abstract
Williams PS, Basso M, Case-Smith J, Nichols-Larsen DS. Development of the Hand Active Sensation Test: reliability and validity.
Objective
To develop and establish the reliability and validity of a new quantitative functional measure of haptic perception in the hand, the Hand Active Sensation Test (HASTe).
Design
Reliability was assessed by test-retest sessions. Validity was assessed via discriminant analysis, concurrent validity with 2-point discrimination and wrist position test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve construction.
Setting
Subject preference.
Participants
Heterogeneous sample of 28 stroke survivors and 28 individually matched controls.
Intervention
Subjects used 1 hand to manipulate HASTe objects that vary by weight or texture to complete 18 match-to-sample trials.
Main Outcome Measures
Two-point discrimination threshold, Wrist Position Sense Test (WPST) average error, and HASTe accuracy score.
Results
Test-retest reliability was strong (intraclass correlation coefficient model 3,1=.77). The HASTe score significantly discriminated the groups (t=8.3, P<.001) and correlated with 2-point discrimination (r=−.67, P<.001) and WPST (r=−.60, P<.001). ROC curve area was .94 for test 1 and .92 for the average of 2 tests.
Conclusions
The HASTe is a reliable and valid functional measure of haptic perception, appears to detect impairment of haptic perception even in stroke survivors with no reported sensory deficits, and may provide valuable quantitative clinical data about complex sensory loss and hand function after stroke.
aSchool of Physical Therapy, Ohio University, Athens, OH
bOccupational Therapy Division, School of Allied Medical Professions, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
cPhysical Therapy Division, School of Allied Medical Professions, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Reprint requests to Deborah S. Nichols-Larsen, PhD, 106 Atwell Hall, 453 W 10th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the author(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.
ABSTRACT