NeuroRehabilitation - Volume 38, issue 2

Authors: de los Reyes-Guzmán, Ana | Dimbwadyo-Terrer, Iris | Pérez-Nombela, Soraya | Monasterio-Huelin, Félix | Torricelli, Diego | Pons, José Luis | Gil-Agudo, Angel

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: After cervical Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), upper limb movements made by patients have a lack of smoothness and a hand velocity profile characterized by a high number of velocity peaks. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present paper is to propose three novel kinematic indices for quantifying movement agility and smoothness, and to analyze their discriminative capability between healthy and pathological people. METHODS: 18 people, healthy and two groups of patients with cervical SCI, participated in the study. Kinematic indices in relation to movement agility and smoothness were computed from hand trajectories and velocity profiles during …the performance of the ADL of drinking from a glass. RESULTS: The proposed indices discriminated between healthy and SCI people. The results are greater in healthy than SCI people. Both smoothness indices detected significant differences between healthy and both SCI groups. Moreover, the Agility index showed capacity for discriminating between both patients groups. CONCLUSIONS: The main contribution of this research consists on the proposal of kinematic indices from experimental data, whose results are dimensionless and relative to a pattern of healthy subjects. We hope that kinematic indices proposed are a step toward the standardization of the quantitative assessment of movement characteristics and functional impairments. Show more

Keywords: Kinematic indices, functional assessment, upper limb, activities of daily living, neurological diseases

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-161311

Citation: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 199-209, 2016

Authors: Piredda, Michela | Biagioli, Valentina | Gambale, Giulia | Porcelli, Elisa | Barbaranelli, Claudio | Palese, Alvisa | De Marinis, Maria Grazia

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Effective measures of nursing care dependency in neurorehabilitation are warranted to plan nursing interventions to help patients avoid increasing dependency. OBJECTIVE: The Care Dependency Scale (CDS) is a theory-based, comprehensive tool to evaluate functional disability. This study aimed to modify the CDS for neurological and neurorehabilitation patients (Neuro-CDS) and to test its psychometric properties in adult neurorehabilitation inpatients. METHODS: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed using a Maximum Likelihood robust (MLR) estimator. The Barthel Index (BI) was used to evaluate concurrent validity. Stability was measured using the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The …sample included 124 patients (mean age = 69.7 years, 54% male). The EFA revealed a two-factor structure with good fit indexes, Factor 1 (Physical care dependence ) loaded by 11 items and Factor 2 (Psycho-social care dependence ) loaded by 4 items. The correlation between factors was 0.61. Correlations between Factor 1 and the BI and between Factor 2 and the BI were r = 0.843 and r = 0.677, respectively (p  <  0.001). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.99 and 0.88 (Factor 1 and 2). The ICC was 0.98. CONCLUSIONS: The Neuro-CDS is multidimensional, valid, reliable, straightforward, and able to measure care dependence in neurorehabilitation patients as a basis for individualized and holistic care. Show more

Keywords: Rehabilitation, nervous system diseases, adult, psychometrics, statistical factor analysis

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-161312

Citation: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 211-219, 2016