Other
English
ID: <
10670/1.z3i1nl>
·
DOI: <
10.26226/morressier.5cb58cfcc668520010b56c3f>
Abstract
IntroductionUnilateral spatial neglect (inattention of contralesional space) is a disabling syndrome that often follows stroke. Identifying neglect is an important step for clinicians before formulating a clinical care plan. There is no universally-agreed standard for diagnosis and no universally-agreed operational definition of neglect for guidance. As a first step to achieving consensus we began with an international survey of stroke cliniciansu2019 current use of neglect assessments.MethodUsing an online survey, we targeted international clinicians with current experience in screening/diagnosing neglect. We distributed the survey via professional bodies and networks representing various specialities. We asked respondents to indicate their use of neglect assessments categorised as cognitive, functional, and neurological, whether these choices were guided by professional choice or institutional policy, and also invited further suggestions and comments. ResultsThe survey attracted 454 responses from 12 professional groups across 33 countries, predominantly occupational therapy (179), psychology (84), medicine (70) and physiotherapy (55) with most respondents from the UK (172), USA (99) and Italy (76). Respondents had a median of 120 months experience, typically worked exclusively in in-patient settings (50%) and saw more than one patient with neglect every two months (67%). Data cleaning is complete: quality is good with very little missing data. We are finalising analyses to examine the most frequently used assessments and explore potential differences in clinical practice e.g. between professions and countries. ConclusionResults from this inter-professional, international survey will form a useful starting point for consensus discussions regarding screening and diagnosing neglect.