ABSTRACT

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to determine whether treatment assignment training for a task-oriented intervention is more effective for hand functionally compared to a control group. Methods : A randomized controlled study was conducted for 30 patients with a hand burn injury. The patients were divided into a task-oriented intervention group (n=15) and a simple exercise therapy group (n=15). The experimental group was given task-oriented intervention, and the control group was provided with simple exercise therapy. The trial was applied for 30 min per day, three times a week for six weeks. To verify the effectiveness of the intervention, the Korean versions of the Michigan Hand Outcome Questionnaire (MHQ-K) and Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTT) were used. Results : After six weeks of intervention, The MHQ-K and JTT scores of the simple exercise therapy group and the task-oriented intervention group both showed significant improvement in hand function (p<.05). Task-oriented intervention also showed a better effect regarding writing skills, and simulated feeding, and level of satisfaction (p<.05). Conclusions : Based on MHQ-K and JTT scores, task-oriented intervention was shown to be more helpful than simple exercise therapy to improve the confidence in patients with a hand burn injury.