{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T22:57:18Z","timestamp":1789426638504,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,29]],"date-time":"2023-06-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1687996800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000925","name":"National Health and Medical Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["APP1129008"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["APP1129008"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000925","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Sixty percent of people have non-functional arms 6\u2009months after stroke. More effective treatments are needed. Cochrane Reviews show low-quality evidence that task-specific training improves upper limb function. Our feasibility trial showed 56\u2009h of task-specific training over 6\u2009weeks resulted in an increase of a median 6 points on the Action Research Arm test (ARAT), demonstrating the need for more definitive evidence from a larger randomised controlled trial. Task-AT Home is a two-arm, assessor-blinded, multicentre randomised, controlled study, conducted in the home setting.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title><jats:p>The objective is to determine whether task-specific training is a more effective treatment than usual care, for improving upper limb function, amount of upper limb use, and health related quality of life at 6\u2009weeks and 6\u2009months after intervention commencement. Our primary hypothesis is that upper limb function will achieve a\u2009\u2265\u20095 point improvement on the ARAT in the task-specific training group compared to the usual care group, after 6\u2009weeks of intervention.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Participants living at home, with remaining upper limb deficit, are recruited at 3\u2009months after stroke from sites in NSW and Victoria, Australia. Following baseline assessment, participants are randomised to 6\u2009weeks of either task-specific or usual care intervention, stratified for upper limb function based on the ARAT score. The task-specific group receive 14\u2009h of therapist-led task-specific training plus 42\u2009h of guided self-practice. The primary outcome measure is the ARAT at 6\u2009weeks. Secondary measures include the Motor Activity Log (MAL) at 6\u2009weeks and the ARAT, MAL and EQ5D-5\u2009L at 6\u2009months. Assessments occur at baseline, after 6\u2009weeks of intervention, and at 6\u2009months after intervention commencement. Analysis will be intention to treat using a generalised linear mixed model to report estimated mean differences in scores between the two groups at each timepoint with 95% confidence interval and value of <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>If the task-specific home-based training programme is more effective than usual care in improving arm function, implementation of the programme into clinical practice would potentially lead to improvements in upper limb function and quality of life for people with stroke.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Clinical Trial Registration<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:ext-link>ANZCTR.org.au\/ACTRN12617001631392p.aspx<\/jats:ext-link><\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2023.1140017","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,30]],"date-time":"2023-06-30T09:52:27Z","timestamp":1688118747000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Task-specific training versus usual care to improve upper limb function after stroke: the \u201cTask-AT Home\u201d randomised controlled trial protocol"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Paulette","family":"van Vliet","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leeanne 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