急性期脳損傷患者におけるBox and Block Testと食事動作の自立度の関連

Relationship between Box and Block Test and independent eating in acute brain injuries

要旨：本研究はBox and Block Test（以下，BBT）が，急性期脳損傷患者に対して評価可能な食事動作に関連する評価指標となりうるかを明らかにすることを目的とした．対象は78名（食事動作自立群：54名，非自立群：24名）であった．その結果，2群間でBBTに有意な差があり，その効果量も大きいことが確認された．また，BBTは食事動作の自立度と高い相関関係を示し，Receiver Operating Characteristic曲線のArea Under the Curveでは良好な判別能を示した．そのため，BBTは急性期脳損傷患者の食事動作の自立度に関連する上肢パフォーマンスの評価指標となることが示唆された．

　This study clarified whether the Box and Block Test (BBT) can assess eating ability among acute brain injury patients. 78 patients participated in this study, of whom 54 were able to eat independently and 24 were not. The results showed a significant difference in BBT between the two groups, thus indicating a sizable effect of BBT. In addition, BBT correlated with the ability to eat, and the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve was highly discriminatory. This study suggested that BBT may be useful in assessing the independence of eating in patients with acute brain injury.