Abstract
Objective
The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of delivering Art
skill-based Rehabilitation Training (ART), a novel upper limb motor training
program, to patients with stroke as an adjunct to standard care in an
inpatient setting.
Design
Feasibility study.
Setting
Inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit at a university hospital.
Participants
Thirty-eight patients admitted to a stroke rehabilitation unit with upper
limb motor impairment were enrolled in the ART program facilitated by
trained non-healthcare professionals between December 2017 and June
2021.
Intervention
The ART program included nine, one-hour sessions of supervised tracing and
freehand drawing tasks completed with both hands. This program was intended
to be delivered at a frequency of three times per week over a duration of 3
weeks or for the length of inpatient stay.
Main outcome measures
Feasibility outcomes included ART program adherence, acceptability, and
safety.
Results
Thirty-two (84%) participants with subacute stroke completed the ART program
and 30 (79%) were included in the study analysis. Participants completed
93–100% of the ART tasks in a median [IQR] of 8 [6–10] ART sessions over a
median [IQR] duration of 15 [7–19] days. ART program facilitators
effectively provided upper limb assistance to patients with more severe
upper limb impairments. Adherence and acceptability were high and no
study-related adverse events occurred.
Conclusion
The ART program was feasible to deliver and highly acceptable to patients
with stroke. Further research is warranted to explore the impact of ART on
upper limb sensorimotor function and use.
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