Use of thickened-handled spoon in improving feeding performance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Introduction/objective

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) primarily affects the hand joints, limiting independence for feeding and requiring the use of assistive technology. The thickening of the handles on the spoon is used as a treatment strategy. However, few studies address how much it helps in RA. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the effect of the use of thickened handle spoons on time, performance quality, and perceived hand effort in the improvement of feeding in users simulating RA with restricted hand movements.

Materials and methods

A quasi-experimental design was used in which RA was simulated with a simulator glove, comparing feeding experiences with regular spoons.

Results

Using spoons with thickened handles had statistically significant effects on the reduction of perceived effort when eating different foods (p = .005); however, there was no significant difference between the number of times food was dropped and the time to complete the activity (p = .78).

Conclusions

Spoons with thickened handles reduce the level of perceived effort, which allows for better joint protection and pain management. It also equals the time and efficiency of eating with a conventional spoon.