Abstract
This research focused on the practical use of chopsticks among patients with right hemiparesis after first onset brain disease in a convalescent rehabilitation hospital and investigated the relationship between clinical evaluations and practicality of chopsticks. We checked basic information and evaluated clinical tests. Patients did a speed test with chopsticks to pick up kidney beans. If patients successfully carried out this test, they attempted to eat a meal with regular chopsticks. The practicality of chopsticks was defined that patients could eat more than 80% of meals within 30 minutes with regular chopsticks. The patients were divided into two groups based on the practicality of chopsticks, and discriminant analysis was carried out by comparing the practicality of chopsticks with factors in which there were significant differences between the two groups by univariate analysis. The results indicated that STEF and speed tests are useful for predicting the practical use of chopsticks.
