Enhancing Patient Care: Evaluating Clinical Utility in Measurement Instruments.

The evaluation of clinical utility is essential for the successful adoption of new technology in clinical practice. An approach to evaluating clinical utility is presented here using the example of digitized measurement instruments.

Clinical Utility and Usability of the Digital Box and Block Test: Mixed Methods Study.

Background: The Box and Block Test (BBT) is a clinical tool used to measure hand dexterity, which is often used for tracking disease progression or the effectiveness of therapy, particularly benefiting older adults and those with neurological conditions. Digitizing the measurement of hand function may enhance the quality of data collection. We have developed and validated a prototype that digitizes this test, known as the digital BBT (dBBT), which automatically measures time and determines and displays the test result.

A Digital Box and Block Test for Hand Dexterity Measurement: Instrument Validation Study.

Background: The Box and Block Test (BBT) measures unilateral gross manual dexterity and is widely used in clinical settings with a wide range of populations, including older people and clients with neurological disorders.

Objective: In this study, we present a newly developed digitized version of the BBT, called the digital BBT (dBBT). The physical design is similar to the original BBT, but the dBBT contains digital electronics that automate the test procedure, timing, and score measurement.