Skip to main content

Main menu

  • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Vision, Mission and Values
    • Health and Economic Impact
    • Strategic Plan
  • Our Research
    • Research Focus
      • Brain Health
      • Cancer
      • Cardiovascular Conditions and Diseases
      • Digital Health
      • Health Policy
      • Immunity and Infectious Diseases
      • Joint Health and Mobility
      • Respiratory and Lung Health
      • Spinal Cord Injury and Rehabilitation
    • Research Centres and Programs
      • BC Centre on Substance Use
      • Centre for Aging SMART
      • Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation
      • Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation
      • Centre for Lung Health
      • Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
      • Immunity and Infection Research Centre
      • International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries
      • Ovarian Cancer Research Centre
      • Vancouver Prostate Centre
      • Community Research Program
      • Emergency Medicine Research Program
      • Hematology Research Program
      • Skin Research Program
      • Other Research Focus Areas
    • News and Stories
    • Researcher Directory
    • Events and Workshops
  • Research Services
    • New to VCHRI
      • Working at VCHRI
      • Regulations and Training
      • Membership with VCHRI
    • Starting Your Project
      • Research Facilitation
      • Awards and Funding
      • Grant Management
      • Operational Approval
    • Developing Your Project
      • Clinical Trials Administration
      • Clinical Research Unit
      • CST Cerner at VCH
      • Research Privacy
      • Financial Policies and Procedures
    • Additional Support
      • Education and Training
      • Communications and Branding
      • Media Relations
      • Study Recruitment Support
      • Innovation and Industry Partnership
    • Internal Awards
    • Clinical Research
    • Innovation and Partnership
  • Participate in Research
    • Reasons to Participate
    • Participant Stories
    • Find a Study
    • Recruitment Support

User menu

  • Log in

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Our Research
  3. News and Stories
  4. Putting a dual-task performance test through its paces

Putting a dual-task performance test through its paces

Stories Jun 19, 2020 3 minutes

ScanCourse test reliability leads to increased powered-mobility safety.

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr. Ben Mortenson chuckles when he says that human beings are not great at doing two things at once or switching from one task to another. He and colleague Lisa Kristalovich at the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre have worked together for five years on a number of research projects looking at the dual-task of driving, particularly among individuals with neurological impairments. Their paper, published in The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, assessed the reliability of ScanCourse—a test meant to measure an individual’s dual-tasking ability.  

ScanCourse is used in occupational therapy settings as part of the Brain Injury Visual Assessment Battery for Adults to assess how well a person can visually scan their surroundings while in motion and moving from one place to another. It is used clinically when assessing potential to use powered mobility, such as powered wheelchairs, or to drive a car. 

“If someone is having problems performing activities that require visual scanning while in motion, this test can help determine the basis of those problems,” explains Mortenson, an associate professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. “For example, if an individual is using a 300 lb power wheelchair and isn’t attending well to their environment, that’s a concern.” 

“Using ScanCourse to figure out what’s going on for an individual in terms of their ability to attend to their environment allows us to better tailor interventions that can ultimately improve their task-switching skills, safety and mobility.” 

Dr. Ben Mortenson is a principal investigator at ICORD (International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries) and the GF Strong Rehabilitation Research Program.

ScanCourse involves numbers being placed on the walls of either side of a hallway. The person being assessed moves down the hallway and has to identify out loud the numbers on the walls as they move along. 

“You have to move yourself either in a wheelchair or by walking, but you also have to pay attention to things on your sides, much as you would if you were driving,” says Mortenson.

For their study, Mortenson and his colleagues enlisted occupational therapists to administer ScanCourse to 41 patients with neurological impairments. Results of the study found that ScanCourse had strong measurement properties and is an appropriate tool for assessing dual-task visual scanning among individuals with neurological issues. The researchers’ study offers the first evaluation of the ScanCourse’s validity and reliability since its development in 1999.

“When examining the measurement properties of an instrument, we look at reliability in terms of whether or not you get the same results over time,” says Mortensen. “We found that ScanCourse’s reliability was extremely high. Additionally, we also found it was significantly correlated to other highly reliable tests of visual attention and task-switching.”

“Clinicians using ScanCourse to assess clients can feel confident that the results are reliable and valid.”

ScanCourse standardization guidelines made widely available

Realizing that ScanCourse comes with outdated and limited instructions in terms of how the test should be administered, Mortenson and his colleagues worked with students and clinicians to standardize the assessment and develop a new testing manual.

“We developed a manual to ensure that anyone using ScanCourse is consistently using the same size numbers, font, level of contrast and things of that nature,” says Mortenson. “For our study, we worked with people from a number of sites and the idea was that all of these sites that were collecting data for us would use the same set of directions.”

The team has made the manual freely available and is encouraging anyone using ScanCourse to use it. 
 

Researchers

Ben Mortenson

Related Articles

Ask an expert: How can I enjoy cold weather activities if I live with a disability?

Preventing shoulder and arm problems post-breast cancer with a self-monitoring tool

Centre for Aging SMART combines expertise in aging and rehabilitation

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Twitter
  • Email

Related Research Centres/Programs

Centre for Aging SMART

International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries

Get the latest research headlines in your inbox

Subscribe

Recent News and Stories

Type
Announcement

Investigator Awards 2023 Recipients

Mar 21, 2023 award
Type
Stories

Ask an expert: Is my menstrual pain normal, or could I have endometriosis?

Mar 16, 2023 women, endometriosis, preventative
Type
Stories

Honing in on precision treatments for endometriosis

Mar 14, 2023 genetics, treatment options
See more news

Get updates!

Join our newsletter mailing list to stay up to date on features and releases.

Subscribe

Quick Links

  • News and Stories
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Media Enquiries

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

© 2023 VCHRI. All rights reserved.

  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy