scholarly journals Development of a Smartphone-Based Balance Assessment System for Subjects with Stroke

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 88 ◽  
Author(s):  
You-Ruei Hou ◽  
Ya-Lan Chiu ◽  
Shang-Lin Chiang ◽  
Hui-Ya Chen ◽  
Wen-Hsu Sung

Stroke is a cerebral artery disease that negatively affects activities of daily living (ADLs) and quality of life (QoL). Smartphones have demonstrated strong potential in assessing balance performance. However, such smartphone-based tools have thus far not been applied to stroke survivors. The purpose of this study was to develop a smartphone-based balance assessment system for subjects who have experienced strokes and evaluate the system feasibility. The smartphone-based balance assessment application was developed with Android Studio, and reliability and validity tests were conducted. The smartphone was used to record data using a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, and increased changes represented greater instability. Six postures were tested for 30 s each. Ten healthy adults were recruited in the reliability test, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to analyze the within-day and between-day reliabilities. Eight subjects with chronic stroke and eight healthy adults were recruited for the validity test, in which balance performance was compared to represent the application validity. The ICC values of the reliability tests were at least 0.76 (p = 0.00). The acceleration data exhibited no difference between individuals who have experienced stroke and healthy subjects; however, all six postures were found to differ significantly between the two groups in the gyroscope data. The study demonstrates that the smartphone application provides a convenient, reliable, and valid tool for the balance assessments of subjects who have experienced chronic stroke.

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (22) ◽  
pp. 7497
Author(s):  
Roy T. Shahar ◽  
Maayan Agmon

Spatio-temporal parameters of human gait, currently measured using different methods, provide valuable information on health. Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) are one such method of gait analysis, with smartphone IMUs serving as a good substitute for current gold-standard techniques. Here we investigate the concurrent validity of a smartphone placed in a front-facing pocket to perform gait analysis. Sixty community-dwelling healthy adults equipped with a smartphone and an application for gait analysis completed a 2-min walk on a marked path. Concurrent validity was assessed against an APDM mobility lab (APDM Inc.; Portland, OR, USA). Bland–Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients (agreement and consistency) for gait speed, cadence, and step length indicate good to excellent agreement (ICC2,1 > 0.8). For right leg stance and swing % of gait cycle and double support % of gait cycle, results were moderate (0.52 < ICC2,1 < 0.62). For left leg stance and swing % of gait cycle left results show poor agreement (ICC2,1 < 0.5). Consistency of results was good to excellent for all tested parameters (ICC3,1 > 0.8). Thus we have a valid and reliable instrument for measuring healthy adults’ spatio-temporal gait parameters in a controlled walking environment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (5S) ◽  
pp. 312
Author(s):  
You-Ruei Hou ◽  
Ya-Lan Chiou ◽  
Shang-Lin Chiang ◽  
Yi-Ju Tsai ◽  
Wen-Hsu Sung

2018 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 191-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
You-Ruei Hou ◽  
Ya-Lan Chiu ◽  
Shang-Lin Chiang ◽  
Hui-Ya Chen ◽  
Wen-Hsu Sung

Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamay S Ng

Introduction: Negotiating obstacles during walking is challenging and demanding for stroke survivors and it is a common cause of falls. As ability to negotiate obstacles is essential for community ambulation and functional independence in stroke survivors, assessing the ability to negotiate obstacles should be a crucial element in stroke rehabilitation. The Timed Up and Go Test with an Obstacle (TUGO), which is the modified from the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, could be used to assess the ability to negotiate obstacles. In TUGO, subjects were required to stand up from a chair, walk forward for 5 meters, step over a 5-cm height obstacle which is placed at the end of 5-meter walkway, turn 180 0 , step over the obstacle again, walk back and sit down on the chair as fast as possible. Time required to complete the task was recorded by a stopwatch. The objectives of this study were to investigate the reliability of TUGO and its correlation with motor functions in people with chronic stroke. Method: This study was a cross-sectional study with 30 people with chronic stroke. TUGO completion times was administered along with Fugl-Meyer motor assessment for the lower extremities (FMA-LE), Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and timed Up and Go test (TUG). FMA-LE, BBS and TUG were used to assess motor control of the affected lower limb, clinical balance performance and functional mobility respectively. The TUGO was conducted in 2 separate sessions with 5-7days apart by 2 independent assessors. Result: TUGO completion times demonstrated excellent intra-rater, inter-rater and test-restest reliabilities, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.955-1.000. Significant correlations were also found between TUGO completion times and FMA-LE scores, BBS scores and TUG times respectively. Conclusion: TUGO is a reliable, valid and easy-to-administer clinical assessment for assessing the ability to negotiate obstacles in people with chronic stroke.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minjeong Kim ◽  
Ja Young Oh ◽  
Seon Ha Bae ◽  
Seung Hyeun Lee ◽  
Won Jun Lee ◽  
...  

AbstractWe evaluated the reliability and validity of the 5-scale grading system to interpret the point-of-care immunoassay for tear matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. Six observers graded red bands of photographs of the readout window in MMP-9 immunoassay kit (InflammaDry) two times with 2-week interval based on the 5-scale grading system (i.e. grade 0–4). Interobserver and intraobserver reliability were evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients. The interobserver agreements were analyzed according to the severity of tear MMP-9 expression. To validate the system, a concentration calibration curve was made using MMP-9 solutions with reference concentrations, then the distribution of MMP-9 concentrations was analyzed according to the 5-scale grading system. Both intraobserver and interobserver reliability was excellent. The readout grades were significantly correlated with the quantified colorimetric densities. The interobserver variance of readout grades had no correlation with the severity of the measured densities. The band density continued to increase up to a maximal concentration (i.e. 5000 ng/mL) according to the calibration curve. The difference of grades reflected the change of MMP-9 concentrations sensitively, especially between grade 2 and 4. Together, our data indicate that the subjective 5-scale grading system in the point-of-care MMP-9 immunoassay is an easy and reliable method with acceptable accuracy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Ke Zhang ◽  
Miao Li ◽  
Jiaxin Gu ◽  
Xintong Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives To examine the validity and reliability of the Mandarin version of the Treatment Burden Questionnaire (TBQ) among stroke patients. Background Stroke patients need long-term management of symptoms and life situation, and treatment burden has recently emerged as a new concept that can influence the health outcomes during the rehabilitation process. Methods The convenience sampling method was used to recruit 187 cases of stroke patients in a tertiary grade hospital in Tianjin for a formal investigation. Item analysis, reliability and validity tests were carried out. The reliability test included internal consistency and test–retest reliability. And as well as content, structure and convergent validity were performed for the validity test. Results Of the 187 completed questionnaires, only 180 (96.3%) were suitable for analysis. According to the experts’ evaluation, the I-CVI of each item was from 0.833 to 1.000, and the S-CVI was 0.967. The exploratory factor analysis yielded three-factor components with a cumulative variation of 53.054%. Convergent validity was demonstrated using measures of Morisky’s Medication Adherence Scale 8 (r = –0.450, P &lt; 0.01). All correlations between items and global scores ranged from 0.403 to 0.638. Internal consistency reliability and test–retest reliability were found to be acceptable, as indicated by a Cronbach’s α of 0.824 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.846, respectively. Conclusions The Mandarin TBQ had acceptable validity and reliability. The use of TBQ in the assessment of treatment burden of stroke survivor may benefit health resources allocation and provide tailor therapeutic interventions to construct minimally disruptive care.


2021 ◽  
pp. 109634802199678
Author(s):  
Charity Mapingure ◽  
E. du Plessis

Tourist typologies are generally criticized for having spatial biases because most of them were constructed in the context of the Western world. The study used an Extended International Tourist Role (EITR) scale to determine the typologies of international tourists to Zimbabwe. The augmented scale was subjected to reliability and validity tests, which yielded positive results. A factor–cluster analysis of 569 international tourists, yielded three distinct subgroups though with similar traits in certain dimensions. The clusters were named the independent tourist, the indifferent tourist, and the cautious new tourist. In the context of Zimbabwe, the cautious new tourist taxon is the most viable subgroup because of its size and available destination resources. However, for strategic planning, Zimbabwe should begin to embrace the independent tourist. The cautious new tourist is likely to mature into the independent tourist status, if the contemporary trends are anything to go by.


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