Development of a scale for evaluating arm function in a wheelchair (Wheelchair Seating Arm Function Test, WS-AFT): A study with healthy subjects

Abstract

[Purpose] This study aimed to develop a Wheelchair Seating Arm Function Test (WS-AFT), using healthy subjects. [Methods] The WS-AFT involved time measurements for 8 types of tasks, in which a subject seated in a wheelchair grasped objects on a table and moved them in forward-backward and left-right directions. Arm function was assessed in 30 healthy individuals seated in wheelchairs, using the WS-AFTandtheSimple Test for Evaluating Hand Function (STEF). The times required to complete the WSAFT and STEF tasks were compared, and the internal consistency of the WS-AFTtasks was examined. [Results] The total time required to complete WS-AFT was significantly shorter than that required to complete STEF, and the two times were significantly positively correlated. The WS-SFT tasks demonstrated sufficient internal consistency. [Conclusion] WS-AFT is a simple and brief assessment of arm function in healthy subjects in a wheelchair. The reliability and validity of WS-AFT should be examined to verify applicability to more typical wheelchair users.