Prediction of the hand function part of the Fugl-Meyer scale after stroke using an automatic quantitative assessment system

Hand function assessment is an essential component of the process of stroke rehabilitation because of the high incidence of hand motor dysfunction. In terms of the manual evaluation of hand function, the Fugl-Meyer scale is a recommended scale with high reliability and validity. However, the need for accurate assessments and increasing developments in technology has led to the promotion of automatic quantitative assessment systems for the hand. In this study, we collected quantitative data on hand function with an automatic system and the upper limb Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) from 79 people with stroke. We developed decision tree (DT) and gradient-boosted decision tree (GBDT) predictive models for the Fugl-Meyer score using features extracted from the Hand Automatic Quantitative Assessment System (HAQAS). Predictive performances were compared between these models regarding the predictive accuracy and Cohen's kappa. There were high correlations between features automatically collected by the HAQAS and the Fugl-Meyer scale in all the sub-items, with the maximal correlations all being over 0.5, indicating the high validity of the HAQAS in automatic FMA prediction. Hand functions were more highly correlated (average correlation coefficient 0.90) with HAQAS features than wrist functions (average correlation coefficient 0.54), and the GBDT achieved higher predictive accuracies and agreement than the DT algorithm. We conclude that the HAQAS is feasible for stroke patients with hand dysfunction and convenient for clinicians and therapists. This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1800019098).