BioPsychoSocial Assessment Tools for the Elderly - Assessment Summary Sheet

Test: Box & Blocks Test

Year: 1985

Domain: Biological

Assessment Tool Category: Physical Function/ADL

Variations/Translations: N/A

Setting: Clinical

Method of Delivery: Any health professional

Description: Staff-assessed, patient-completed gross manual dexterity test involving the transference of individual blocks within a partitioned box using dominant then non-dominant hand for a timed 60 seconds.

Scoring/Interpretation: The number of blocks successfully transferred becomes the final score. The more blocks transferred the greater the gross manual dexterity.

Time to Administer: 2 -3 minutes

Availability: Can purchase kit on-line:

http://www.wisdomking.com/product/box-block-test

Software: Software is included in the kit

Website: N/A

Quantitative/Qualitative: Quantitative

Validity (Quantitative): Desrosiers et al. (1994) stated that the validity of the test is shown by significant correlations between the Box and Blocks Test, an upper limb performance measurement, and a functional independence measurement.

Reliability (Quantitative): Desrosiers et al. (1994) state that the test-retest reliability is as high as the intraclass correlation coefficients are 0.89 to 0.97.

References:

Desrosiers, J., Bravo, G., Hebert, R., et al. (1994). Validation of the Box and Block Test as a measure of dexterity of elderly people: reliability, validity, and norms studies, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 75(7) 751-5.

 Mathiowetz, V., Volland, G., Kashman, N., and Weber, K., et al. (1985). Adult norms for the Box and Block Test of manual dexterity, American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 39 (6), 386-391.

Comments: Information regarding the validity and reliability was provided only in Desrosiers et al., in 1994.