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.

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.