Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory-9 (CAHAI-9): a multi-centre investigation of clinical utility

Aims: Assessment of upper limb ability is a common focus of the occupational therapist in acute stroke. Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory - 9 (CAHAI-9) is an activity based assessment developed to include relevant functional tasks and to be sensitive to clinically important changes in upper limb function. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of CAHAI-9 in an acute stroke setting. Methods: Thirty-two occupational therapist participants from eight hospitals completed 100 CAHAI- 9 assessments, on 92 patients with stroke, over six months. Occupational therapists completed questionnaires regarding the clinical utility of CAHAI-9. Findings: The mean patient age was 69 years and mean CAHAI-9 score was 39/63. The mean administration time was 16 minutes. Eighty-three percent of therapists indicated they would use CAHAI-9 again. Eight-seven percent agreed CAHAI-9 was useful for patients with mild and moderate (91%) upper limb deficits however only 25% agreed for severe deficits. Conclusions: The findings indicate that CAHAI-9 shows promise as an upper limb ability assessment in acute stroke, with therapists indicating they would use CAHAI-9 again. However, further investigation of the scoring issues may be warranted before CAHAI-9 is ready for clinical use in Australian acute care settings