A Scoping Review of Grasp and Handwriting Performance in School-Age Children.

Objective: Handwriting is a critical functional skill that impacts academic participation and progress. Occupational therapists address components of grasp in their handwriting intervention as it is commonly assumed that grasp affects legibility, fluency, and endurance, yet research studies examining this relationship are limited.

Method: We used scoping review methodology to map existing research on grasp and handwriting performance in school-age children and to identify gaps in the literature.

The effect of wheelchair propulsion style on changes in time spent in extreme wrist orientations after a bout of fatiguing propulsion.

This study compared how wheelchair propulsion styles affect changes in percentage of time spent in extreme wrist orientations, which have been associated with median nerve injury, after a fatiguing bout of propulsion. Twenty novice, non-disabled adult males learned arcing (ARC) and semicircular (SEMI) propulsion styles and utilised each to perform a wheelchair fatigue protocol. ARC and SEMI did not significantly differ in terms of changes after the fatigue protocol in percentage of time spent in extreme flexion/extension or radial/ulnar deviation at the push phase beginning or end.

The Effect of Propulsion Style on Wrist Movement Variability During the Push Phase After a Bout of Fatiguing Propulsion.

Background: Wheelchair propulsion has been linked to overuse injuries regardless of propulsion style. Many aspects of the arcing (ARC) and semicircular (SEMI) propulsion styles have been compared, but differences in intracycle movement variability, which have been linked to overuse injuries, have not been examined.

Objective: To explore how ARC and SEMI affect changes in intracycle wrist movement variability after a fatiguing bout of propulsion.

Wheelchair ergonomic hand drive mechanism use improves wrist mechanics associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Among conventional manual wheelchair (CMW) users, 49% to 63% experience carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) that is likely induced by large forces transmitted through the wrist and extreme wrist orientations. The ergonomic hand drive mechanism (EHDM) tested in this study has been shown to utilize a more neutral wrist orientation. This study evaluates the use of an EHDM in terms of wrist orientations that may predispose individuals to CTS.

Comparison of metabolic cost, performance, and efficiency of propulsion using an ergonomic hand drive mechanism and a conventional manual wheelchair.

Objective: To compare the metabolic cost (oxygen uptake per unit time [V˙o2 consumption], heart rate, and number of pushes), performance (velocity and distance traveled), and efficiency (oxygen uptake per distance traveled [Vo2 efficiency]) of propulsion using a novel ergonomic hand drive mechanism (EHDM) and a conventional manual wheelchair (CMW).

Design: Repeated-measures crossover design.

Setting: Semicircular track.

Identifying sincerity of effort based on the combined predictive ability of multiple grip strength tests.

Study Design: Retrospective Cohort.

Introduction: Detecting sincerity of effort (SOE) of grip strength remains a frustrating and elusive task for hand therapists because there are no valid, reliable, or widely accepted assessments for identifying feigned effort. Some therapists use various combinations of different SOE tests in an attempt to identify feigned effort, but there is lack of evidence to support this practice.

Using the "visual target grip test" to identify sincerity of effort during grip strength testing.

Unlabelled: We devised a sincerity of effort assessment based on "tricking" a person into exerting maximal effort by providing incorrect visual feedback. The assessment involves deriving a target line from nonvisual peak gripping force, instructing participants to reach it with each grip repetition, and then secretly changing its position, which requires doubling the force necessary to reach it. Accordingly, participants are tricked into exerting more force than intended to reach the deceptive target line.

Validity, reliability, and responsiveness of a digital version of the visual analog scale.

Unlabelled: The design used in this study was a prospective cohort. Pain intensity levels recorded by the digital version of the visual analog scale (VAS-D) are easy to both score and share with other health care professionals. The purpose of the study was to examine the test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, and responsiveness of the VAS-D.

Influence of pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders on grip force timing.

Study Design: Retrospective repeated-measures design.

Introduction: Pain is a common symptom associated with musculoskeletal conditions.

Purpose: This study examined if pain resulting from a unilateral upper extremity musculoskeletal injury compromises the person's ability to rapidly initiate and release handgrip.

Driving simulator sickness: an evidence-based review of the literature.

Objective: Guided by the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (2nd edition; American Occupational Therapy Association, 2008), we conducted an evidence-based review on simulator sickness (SS).

Method: We searched Web of Science, PubMed, SafetyLit, Google Scholar, and recently published literature. We used the American Academy of Neurology's classification criteria to extract data from 10 studies and assign each a level of 1-4, with "1" indicating the highest level of evidence.

Development of an item bank for a computerised adaptive test of upper-extremity function.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric characteristics of an upper-extremity item bank as a precursor to developing a computer adaptive patient reported outcome instrument. The Activity dimension of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provided the conceptual framework for the items.

Method: Factor and Rasch analyses were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the item bank, including: monotonicity, local independence, dimensionality, item difficulty hierarchy and match between sample ability and item difficulty.

Using the force-time curve to determine sincerity of effort in people with upper extremity injuries.

Unlabelled: This was a prospective cohort study. In a previous study, the slopes of the force-time (F-T) curve were shown to differentiate between maximal and submaximal grip effort in healthy participants. The objective of the study was to examine if the slopes of the F-T curve can determine the sincerity of effort in people with upper extremity injuries.

Validity and critical driving errors of on-road assessment for older drivers.

Objectives: We examined the validity of our on-road driving assessment to quantify its outcomes.

Method: Older drivers (N = 127) completed a driving assessment on a standardized road course. Measurements included demographics, driving errors, and driving test outcomes; a categorical global rating score (pass-fail); and the sum of maneuvers (SMS) score (0-273).

Traffic violations versus driving errors of older adults: informing clinical practice.

Certain driving errors are predictive of crashes, but whether the type of errors evaluated during on-road assessment is similar to traffic violations that are associated with crashes is unknown. Using the crash data of 5,345 older drivers and expert reviewers, we constructed a violation-to-error classification based on rater agreement. We examined the effects of predictor variables on crash-related injuries by risk probability using logistic regression.

A comparison of the ability of two upper extremity assessments to measure change in function.

Study Design: Retrospective Measurement Comparison.

Introduction: Upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders affect millions, thus, discerning optimal assessments for measuring change in upper extremity function is critical.

Purpose Of The Study: To compare responsiveness (ability to measure change) of the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) and Upper Extremity Functional Index (UEFI).

Comparison of driving errors between on-the-road and simulated driving assessment: a validation study.

Objective: Driving simulation provides a convenient and safe method for assessing driving behaviors. Many authors, however, agree that validation is a key component of any study that utilizes simulators to assess driving performance. The purpose of this study was to test driver response validity by discerning whether behavioral responses of drivers, as expressed by type and number of errors, are similar on the road and in the simulator.

Clinical predictors of older driver performance on a standardized road test.

Objectives: To determine the relationship between clinical variables (demographics, cognitive testing, comorbidities, and medications) and failing a standardized road test in older adults.

Methods: Analysis of on-the road studies performed in optimal weather conditions, between January 1, 2005, and May 1, 2007. The standardized testing was held at the National Older Driver Research and Training Center (NODRTC), Florida, and included 127 adults aged 65 and older with current driver licenses, recruited by advertisement from the Gainesville, Florida, community.

The administration and interpretation of the rapid exchange grip test: a national survey.

The purpose of the present study was to determine if the administration and interpretation of the rapid exchange grip (REG) test vary among hand therapists nationally. The REG is used to determine sincerity of effort of grip strength. There are inconsistencies in the literature regarding the administration and interpretation of the REG, as various studies use different testing protocols and diverse interpretation criteria for what constitutes a sincere effort.

Evaluation of the torque-velocity test of the BTE-Primus as a measure of sincerity of effort of grip strength.

An inverse linear relationship exists between torque and velocity in the mid-ranges of an isotonic maximal contraction in a single joint movement (such as the elbow and knee). We hypothesized that submaximal effort does not produce a linear torque-velocity relationship because replicating a submaximal isotonic contraction requires an enormous amount of proprioceptive feedback and the nervous system may not be able to accurately replicate both force and speed of contraction. If this hypothesis is true, the torque-velocity test of the BTE-Primus would be an effective method for assessing sincerity of effort.

The impact of roadway intersection design on driving performance of young and senior adults.

Objective: To test the effectiveness of the FHWA guidelines for intersection design.

Methods: In an experimental design we used kinematics measures from an instrumented vehicle and behavioral (error) data collected during on-road evaluations to quantify the effects of improved versus unimproved intersections (turn phase) and to determine if these intersections were safer (vehicular stability and driver confidence) for both older (65-85 years) and younger (25 -45) drivers. We analyzed kinematics data with a 2 x 2 repeated measures ANOVA and behavioral data (driving errors yes, no) with Wilcoxon sign rank test (within subject variable: intersection improved vs.

Using the force-time curve to detect maximal grip strength effort.

Currently, there are no universally accepted assessment methods for detecting insincere effort during grip strength testing. We examined the validity of the slopes of the force-time curve (during force-generation and force-decay phases) as indicative of sincerity of effort. Thirty healthy subjects performed both maximal and submaximal grip strength trials.

The use of the coefficient of variation in detecting sincerity of effort: a meta-analysis.

The coefficient of variation (CV) is used to determine sincerity of effort of strength measurements. However, there is a controversy in the literature concerning its validity and effectiveness. We used a meta-analytic approach and calculated the effect size between maximal and submaximal efforts for the CV of grip, elbow flexion and knee extension.

International Older Driver Consensus Conference on Assessment, Remediation and Counseling for Transportation Alternatives: Summary and Recommendations.

On December 1 and 2, 2003, 63 international experts on older driver issues met to examine three critical issues related to the safe mobility of older drivers. Conference participants addressed standards and protocols for screening and evaluating the skills of older drivers. For drivers judged to lack the necessary skills to drive safely, participants addressed methods of remediation that could enable older persons with limited cognitive or physical abilities to continue to drive.

Reliability and validity of the DynEx dynamometer.

Abstract The purpose of the study was to examine the reliability and validity of the digital DynEx dynamometer. Grip strength testing was conducted on 100 healthy subjects (aged 20-40 years) using both the Jamar and DynEx dynamometers in the second handle position. The data were analyzed for test-retest reliability and concurrent validity using the intraclass correlation coefficient.

Analysis of the statistical methods used to detect submaximal effort with the five-rung grip strength test.

Controversy exists in the literature concerning the ability of the five-rung grip test to identify submaximal effort. The purpose of this study was to analyze four methods commonly used to evaluate the shape of the curve generated by maximal versus submaximal efforts. Thirty hand therapy patients performed the five-rung grip test maximally and submaximally with both their injured and uninjured hands.