Assessment and evaluation of adult grip strength; experiences of occupational therapy clinicians in north Queensland
Journal Contribution ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Introduction: The measurement of handgrip strength is widely accepted for assessing and evaluating hand function, however, little is known about how and why occupational therapists in North Queensland assess and evaluate handgrip strength. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of occupational therapists when working with grip strength. Additionally, the study explored what biological and functional factors occupational therapists believe influence adult grip strength and should be considered in the evaluation of grip strength in comparison to normative data. Methods: Purposive sampling was conducted to identify occupational therapy clinicians within North Queensland who assess grip strength. Data were collected from 20 participants using a semi-structured interview process. Interviews were either one on one or conducted as part of a focus group. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Variations of the American Society of Hand Therapists grip strength testing procedure were used by the participants based on experience. When evaluating grip strength, comparison to normative data was not always completed or seen to be valuable and normative data used varied. Biological and functional factors such as height, weight and occupation were considered to influence individual grip strength. Conclusion: The results of this study provide insight into the niche ways occupational therapists assess and evaluate grip strength according to experience and practice context. These variations in assessment and evaluation of grip strength along with the influence of an individual’s biological and functional factors need to be considered when interpreting grip strength results
Journal
Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
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N/A
Volume
68
ISBN/ISSN
1440-1630
Edition
N/A
Issue
S1
Pages Count
1
Location
N/A
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
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N/A
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Date
N/A
EISSN
N/A
DOI
10.1111/1440-1630.12738