Network of Movement and Proximity Sensors for Monitoring Upper-Extremity Motor Activity After Stroke: Proof of Principle

Objective: To test the convergent validity of an objective method, Sensor-Enabled Radio-frequency Identification System for Monitoring Arm Activity (SERSMAA), that distinguishes between functional and nonfunctional activity. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Laboratory. Participants: Participants (N=25) were >= 0.2 years poststroke (median, 9) with a wide range of severity of upper-extremity hemiparesis. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: After stroke, laboratory tests of the motor capacity of the more-affected arm poorly predict spontaneous use of that arm in daily life. However, available subjective methods for measuring everyday arm use are vulnerable to self-report biases, whereas available objective methods only provide information on the amount of activity without regard to its relation with function. The SERSMAA consists of a proximity-sensor receiver on the more-affected arm and multiple units placed on objects. Functional activity is signaled when the more-affected arm is close to an object that is moved. Participants were videotaped during a laboratory simulation of an everyday activity, that is, setting a table with cups, bowls, and plates instrumented with transmitters. Observers independently coded the videos in 2-second blocks with a validated system for classifying more-affected arm activity. Results: There was a strong correlation (r=.87, P<.001) between time that the more-affected arm was used for handling objects according to the SERSMAA and functional activity according to the observers. Conclusions: The convergent validity of SERSMAA for measuring more-affected arm functional activity after stroke was supported in a simulation of everyday activity. (C) 2014 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine