Validity and reliability of the functional test for hemiplegic upper Extremity-Thai version.

Background: There are very few standard instruments currently available for measuring upper extremity (UE) functions for patients with stroke in Thailand.

Objectives: This study aims to examine the concurrent validity, construct validity, and stability reliability of the Functional Test for Hemiplegic Upper Extremity (FTHUE)-Thai version for patients with stroke.

Methods: Thirty hemiplegic participants from five community rehabilitation centers in Chiang Mai province and 30 healthy subjects were recruited. The FTHUE-Thai version and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) were the instruments used. Concurrent validity was determined by investigating the relationship between the FTHUE-Thai version and the FMA-UE. Construct validity was investigated by comparing the performance of FTHUE-Thai version between stroke participants and healthy subjects. The stability reliability of the FTHUE-Thai version, which measured the UE function of stroke participants twice in a two-week's period, was also investigated. The statistics used were Spearman's correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney test.

Results: There were significant correlations between the UE function, as measured by the FTHUE-Thai version, and the arm, and hand sub-scores, as well as the total scores of the FMA-UE (.. and ., respectively), indicating good concurrent validity. Stability reliability was also good (., weighted kappa = .). A known group technique test revealed significantly different scores between stroke patients and healthy subjects ( .), indicating good construct validity.

Conclusion: The FTHUE-Thai version could be a reliable measurement tool for the UE function in stroke patients in the Thai context.