A quasi-experimental feasibility study to determine the effect of a systematic treatment programme on the scores of the Nottingham Adjustment Scale of individuals with visual field deficits following stroke

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate a systematic treatment programme developed by the researcher that targeted aspects of visual functioning affected by visual field deficits following stroke.

Design: The study design was a non-equivalent control (conventional) group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental feasibility design, using multisite data collection methods at specified stages.

Setting: The study was undertaken within three acute hospital settings as outpatient follow-up sessions.

Subjects: Individuals who had visual field deficits three months post stroke were studied.

Interventions: A treatment group received routine occupational therapy and an experimental group received, in addition, a systematic treatment programme. The treatment phase of both groups lasted six weeks.

Main measures: The Nottingham Adjustment Scale, a measure developed specifically for visual impairment, was used as the primary outcome measure.

Results: The change in Nottingham Adjustment Scale score was compared between the experimental (n = 7) and conventional (n = 8) treatment groups using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. The result of Z = -2.028 (P = 0.043) showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the change in Nottingham Adjustment Scale score between both groups.

Conclusions: The introduction of the systematic treatment programme resulted in a statistically significant change in the scores of the Nottingham Adjustment Scale.