Cellphone-Based Automated Fugl-Meyer Assessment to Evaluate Upper Extremity Motor Function After Stroke

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Science
• Digital Health

Background:

• The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) is a standard tool for evaluating upper extremity motor function in stroke survivors.
• Current FMA administration is labor-intensive, requiring trained therapists and in-clinic settings, posing challenges for frequent assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel, automated system for FMA scoring using smartphone technology.
• To assess the feasibility of using a cellphone-based approach for objective and efficient upper extremity motor function evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Patients with upper extremity dysfunction performed FMA movements while holding a smartphone.
• Movement data captured by the smartphone underwent feature extraction.
• Decision tree algorithms were employed to automatically score individual FMA test items.

Main Results:

• The automated cellphone-based FMA scores demonstrated a high correlation with traditional therapist-administered scores (r² = 0.97).
• The system achieved an average accuracy of 85% for individual FMA test items.
• The proposed system offers a portable and automated solution for FMA scoring.

Conclusions:

• A cellphone-based automated FMA system can accurately assess upper extremity motor function in stroke patients.
• This technology has the potential to alleviate the repetitive burden on therapists and enable assessments in diverse settings, including homes.
• The findings support the integration of mobile health solutions into stroke rehabilitation protocols for improved patient monitoring and care.