Validity and reliability of the functional test for hemiplegic upper Extremity-Thai version.
Pisak Chinchai, Pheangrawee Pingmuang, Krongporn Chinchai and 1 others
PMID 39539408WHAT IT FOUND
The Thai version of the Functional Test for Hemiplegic Upper Extremity matches the Fugl-Meyer Assessment and gives consistent scores over two weeks.
It is a reliable option for screening arm and hand function in stroke survivors in Thailand.
Key findings
01Scores on the Thai version of the test correlated strongly with the arm, hand, and total scores of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity.
02The test successfully distinguished between stroke survivors and healthy adults, with stroke participants scoring a median of 4 compared to 7 for healthy individuals.
03Test results were stable when participants were assessed twice over a two-week period, showing high correlation and scoring agreement.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study only compared the FTHUE-Thai to the FMA-UE, which focuses more on motor impairment than functional task performance; other functional tests were not included. Scoring relied entirely on the judgment of the research assistants without video verification, which could introduce rater bias. The sample size was small (30 per group) and limited to chronic stroke survivors in one region of Thailand.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this test replaces all other assessments or applies globally. The validity was established specifically for the Thai version in a Thai context with chronic stroke survivors, and it correlates with the FMA-UE, which measures impairment rather than pure functional independence.