How do assessments of unilateral spatial neglect address far space? A scoping review
Language
EN
Communication dans un congrès
This item was published in
Brain Injury, 14th World Congress on Brain Injury, 2023-03-29, Dublin. 2023-09-29, vol. 37, n° suppl. 1, p. 206-207
English Abstract
Purpose: Unilateral Spatial Neglect (USN) is a neurological disorder characterized by reduced attention on the space toward the contralesional side, is a common deficit after stroke (30%). A USN patient can have difficulties ...Read more >
Purpose: Unilateral Spatial Neglect (USN) is a neurological disorder characterized by reduced attention on the space toward the contralesional side, is a common deficit after stroke (30%). A USN patient can have difficulties in activities of daily living in near and far spaces. Far space can be defined as a space where the target is beyond reaching distance (e.g., signposts, a moving vehicle onto the road). The paper-and-pencil tests are the most popular tests to assess USN. However, these tests cannot evaluate the impact of USN in deep space or daily life activities. A scoping review was performed to identify tools that assess USN in far space and to analyze the suitability of these tools to detect daily life impairments.
Methods: A scoping review was conducted on the literature published until 2019. It followed the six-stage framework recommended by Levac et al. (2010) for a quality scoping review. Using a systematic procedure, literature was selected from 4 databases (i.e., MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO). Results were charted and tools were analyzed concerning their goals, psychometric properties, applicability, and analyzed according to the International Classification of Functioning (ICF).
Results: After removing duplicates, 1749 studies were screened. Twenty-four articles were included in this scoping review. Eleven tools were extracted: five take place in the natural environment and six in a virtual environment. Regarding the complexity of the task, most of the tools used multiple tasks. Catherine Bergego scale and Mobility Assessment Course (MAC), conducted in the natural environment, presented the best psychometric properties. The ecological validation of virtual tools is rarely studied. Concerning the applicability, the natural environment tools are available free of cost and no training is required to use them unlike virtual tools. According to ICF, the activities assessed the activities assessed by the tools were categorized into eight domains: Carrying out daily routine; Conversation and use of communication devices and techniques; Carrying, moving and handling objects; Walking and moving; Dressing; Eating; General interpersonal interactions; Recreation and leisure (d 920). Among the domains, only two (Walking and moving and carrying out daily routine) address far space.
Conclusions: Both natural and virtual environments seem to be suitable for assessing far neglect in USN persons. VR tools still need more research regarding their psychometric properties to be used in clinical settings. To properly consider the impact of USN in deep space, studies should be conducted to be able to offer evaluations that would consider other areas of activity (e.g., leisure, sport).Read less <