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Reliability of the M-FLEX™: equipment to measure palmar grasp strength in infants
Marcus Vinicius Marques Moraes1, Eloisa Tudella, Joyce Ribeiro
1Department of Physiotherapy, Regional University of Blumenau, 105 Antonio da Veiga Street, Blumenau,SC, Brazil. moraes.mvm@gmail.com
Insights
This study validated the M-FLEX™ device for measuring infant palmar grasp strength. The instrument demonstrated reliable and reproducible results in infants from birth to four months old.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric assessment
- Infant motor development
- Biomedical engineering
Background:
- Palmar grasp is a key developmental milestone in infants.
- Accurate measurement of palmar grasp strength is crucial for developmental assessments.
- Existing methods may lack precision or standardization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the reliability and reproducibility of the M-FLEX™ device.
- To assess the M-FLEX™ as an instrument for measuring palmar grasp strength in infants.
- To characterize palmar grasp in infants aged 0-4 months.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-nine healthy infants (0-4 months) were evaluated.
- The M-FLEX™ device measured maximum grasp strength (FMAX), mean grasp strength (FMEAN), and grasp time (GRT).
- Repeatability and reproducibility were assessed using ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and ICC with 95% CI.
Main Results:
- The M-FLEX™ device provided consistent and repeatable measurements of palmar grasp strength.
- Reproducibility analysis across different sampling sites confirmed the device's reliability.
- Statistical analysis (ANOVA, ICC) supported the instrument's validity.
Conclusions:
- The M-FLEX™ is a reliable instrument for characterizing palmar grasp in infants.
- This device can be a valuable tool in routine infant evaluations.
- Further research can explore its application in clinical settings for developmental monitoring.
Abstract:
The palmar grasp behavior investigation is frequent in evaluation routine of infants. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of an instrument for measuring palmar grasp strength in infants from birth to four months of age. Thirty-nine healthy infants from both sexes from birth to four months of age were evaluated and divided into three groups ("SC", "FR", "BL") according to the city they came from. The equipment under test is called M-FLEX(®), which provides maximum grasp strength (FMAX), mean grasp strength (FMEAN) and grasp time (GRT) values. The repeatability and reproducibility of measures produced by the M-FLEX™ were verified. Three measurements were obtained (M1, M2, M3) from both hands, with the infant's face turned to the right. To calculate the repeatability, the three measures were compared to themselves in each group. For reproducibility, the difference between the averages of M1 of the three variables provided by M-FLEX™ was verified in the three sampling sites. The statistical tests used were ANOVA, Pearson's correlation and calculation of the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) with their respective confidence intervals (CI). The M-FLEX™ proved to be an outfit that provides measures capable of characterizing the palmar grasp phenomenon in infants.
