From the Guidelines
The Arthritis Rehabilitation Assessment Tool (ARAT) is actually referred to as the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), a standardized assessment tool used to evaluate upper limb function in patients with neurological impairments, particularly after stroke. The ARAT consists of 19 movement tasks divided into 4 sub-tests (grasp, grip, pinch, and gross arm movement), assessing a patient’s ability to handle objects differing in size, weight, and shape 1. The test has a 3-point functional ability scale that rates the quality of movement for each of the tasks, with values ranging from 0 (not able to perform any part of the test) to 3 (movement appears to be normal), and a maximum score of 57 points (possible range 0 to 57) 1. Key characteristics of the ARAT include:
- Excellent inter-rater and test-retest reliability for assessment in chronic stroke 1
- Strong evidence of responsiveness 1
- Validity in chronic stroke patients, correlating highly with other measures such as the Fugl-Meyer and Wolf Motor Function Test scales 1
- An established anchor-based Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) for chronic stroke 1 The ARAT is widely recommended as a core measure in stroke recovery trials, particularly for assessing activity limitation and upper limb function 1. The use of the ARAT is recommended in all phases of stroke recovery, from acute to chronic, as it provides valuable information about a patient's functional abilities and can help guide treatment planning and track progress over time.
From the Research
Arthritis Rehabilitation Assessment Tool (ARAT)
There is no evidence of an "Arthritis Rehabilitation Assessment Tool (ARAT)" in the provided studies.
Action Research Arm Test (ARAT)
However, there are several studies related to the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), which measures upper limb activity limitations in people with acquired brain injuries, such as stroke or traumatic brain injury. The key points of these studies are:
- The ARAT is an appropriate measure of activity limitation post-stroke and should be considered for use with people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) 2.
- A decision tree version of the ARAT (ARAT-DT) was developed, reducing the maximum number of items necessary for ARAT administration from 19 to 4, with excellent criterion validity with original ARAT scores 3.
- A shortened version of the ARAT, called the Mini-ARAT, was created, consisting of 2 subscales from the original ARAT scale (Grip and Pinch), with good reliability, validity, and responsiveness 4.
- The ARAT was used to assess functional abilities in patients with upper-limb spasticity after botulinum toxin injections, with results showing functional improvements in four subjects 5.
- An immersive virtual reality version of the ARAT (ARAT-VR) was developed, with excellent validity, usability, and test-retest reliability among individuals with stroke, healthcare professionals, and healthy control subjects 6.