Development of the Electronic-Hand Assessment Tool (E-Hat): A Case Study

Daniel Panchik, Kurt DeGeode, Sanjiv H. Naidu, Anna Ford, Michael Patrick, Erin Ensminger, Occupational Therapy, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA, USA; Hand Center, Pinnacle Health, Mechanicsburg, PA, USA; Physics and Engineering, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA, USA Purpose: The purpose of this research was to conduct a collective case study on patient and clinician perspectives of the E-HAT in order to determine its applicability to adult handwriting rehabilitation and to further develop the software increasing its clinical usefulness. Background: The Electronic-Hand Assessment Tool (E-HAT) prototype was conceptualized in response to the need for an age-appropriate, objective tool to guide handwriting and fine motor control rehabilitation among adults. This innovative tablet PC application measures speed and accuracy of writing and provides immediate, quantitative output scores. Whenadults experienceorthopedicor neurological problems, their ability to write is often impaired (Cooper, 2008; Nowak, 2008; Shumway-Cook & Woollacott, 2001; Woodson, 2008). Continual failure during handwriting intervention can lead to a decreased sense of control, self-efficacy, andmotivation, as well as an avoidance of writing (Jones & Christensen, 1999). Most handwriting assessment and interventionmethods take into consideration the individual, task, and environment (Rosenblum, Weiss, et al., 2003); however, nearly all are intended for use with children and rely on subjective scoring. The E-HAT application addresses these limitations. Developed in the C# environment,