Do Neglect Assessments Detect Neglect Differently?

Abstract

Objective: We determined whether various assessment tools detect neglect differently by administering a battery of assessments to people with stroke.

Method: We conducted a case series study and administered five neglect assessments (paper-and-pencil, functional, virtual reality) to participants poststroke.

Results: Twelve participants (6 men, 6 women) with stroke completed the assessment battery, which required approximately 2 hr to administer (over one to two sessions). All participants demonstrated neglect on three or more assessments. Functional assessments and the virtual reality assessment detected neglect more frequently than the paper-and-pencil assessments. Participants performed differently on the paper-and-pencil assessments and functional assessments.

Conclusion: Because neglect is complex, detection may depend largely on the assessment administered.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02935270.

Copyright © 2017 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.