Validity of the Japanese Version of the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure in Stroke Patients / The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine

ABSTRACT

Purpose：The Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) is a test of upper extremity function composed of 12 movement tasks and 14 activities of daily living tasks, and is used as an assessment battery for upper extremity prostheses. The purpose of this study is to examine its validity in clinical practice.Methods：The study included 143 patients with hemiparesis. The validity of SHAP and an existing assessment battery were compared in this study. Factors influencing the validity of differences between dominant and non-dominant hands were examined.Results：Concomitant validity was shown between the SHAP Japanese version and an existing upper extremity function evaluation method. A strong correlation with the subjective evaluation scale was obtained in cases of dominant hand paralysis.Discussion：These results suggested that SHAP is able to accurately evaluate upper extremity hemiparesis, because the difficulty level in evaluation of upper extremity function is higher than that of the Action Research Arm Test, and a ceiling effect is unlikely. Therefore, SHAP is useful in clinical practice not only for assessment of an artificial hand but also for hemiparesis with stroke. Further study to clarify the characteristics of SHAP as well as verification of reliability and standard values is warranted.