Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives (Oct 2019)

The Effect of a Complex Intervention Program for Unilateral Neglect in Patients with Acute-Phase Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  • Hyun-Se Choi,
  • Deok-Ju Kim,
  • Yeong-Ae Yang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2019.10.5.02
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 5
pp. 265 – 273

Abstract

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Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of Prism Adaptation (PA) plus functional electrical stimulation (FES) on stroke patients with unilateral neglect, and suggest a new intervention method for acute-phase stroke patients. Methods There were 30 patients included in this study from April to October 2016 that had unilateral neglect whilst hospitalized following a stroke (diagnosed by a professional). The participants, who were patients receiving occupational therapy, understood the purpose of the study and agreed to participate. The patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: PA plus FES group (Group A), PA group (Group B), and FES group (Group C). Treatments lasted for 50 minutes per day, 5 times per week, for 3 weeks in total. Reevaluation was conducted after 3 weeks of intervention. Results All 3 groups showed unilateral neglect reduction after the intervention, but PA plus FES (complex intervention method) was more effective than PA or FES alone [effect size: Motor-free Visual Perception Test (0.80), Albert test (0.98), CBS (0.92)]. Conclusion The results of this study support further studies to examine complex intervention for the treatment of unilateral neglect.

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