Investigation of the Psychometric Properties of the Squares Test in Measuring Hand Function in Parkinson's Disease

Investigation of the Psychometric Properties of the Squares Test in Measuring Hand Function in Parkinson's Disease

The first aim of the present study was to investigate reliability, validity and responsiveness to the minimal clinically important difference, which is defined as the smallest change in score corresponding to clinically meaningful change realized by patient, of the squares test in people with PD.

The second aim of the study is to determine the relationship between hand function and both trunk control and balance in PD population.

At baseline, the ST, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) Scale, Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS) was applied to the PS group when the patients were "on" period. The ST was repeated after seven days from the first application when PD group were "on" period to evaluate its reliability.

Inclusion Criteria:

• at least 40 years of age
• neurologist-diagnosed idiopathic PD (using UK Brain Bank criteria)
• Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y) stages 1 to 4
• Mini-Mental State Examination ≥ 22/30 (literate and with 5 or more years of education) and ≥18/30 (illiterate and with less than 5 years of education)
• living in the community

Exclusion Criteria:

• individuals with other major diseases (e.g., cancer, stroke, epilepsy, dementia, and severe rheumatoid arthritis)
• preexisting disabilities
• visual impairments
• diagnosis of atypical Parkinsonism
• H&Y stage 5
• previous surgical management of PD