Abstract
Background: We aimed to develop a patient-oriented disease-specific outcome measure for patients with disorders of the hand and elbow, which we call the HandQ, and examine the practical applicability, reliability and validity of the HandQ for any patient with disorders of the hand and elbow. Methods: A total of 216 patients were surveyed with the HandQ, as well as the Hand20 and the DASH to assess psychometric characteristics. Results: Test-retest reliability and internal consistency determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (0.942) and Cronbach’s alpha test (0.961) were excellent. The HandQ was well correlated with the other questionnaires. Scree plot showed uni-dimensionality of the HandQ, and the graphical model showed the questionnaire items of the HandQ had reasonable correlation among each item. Conclusions: The HandQ has a sufficient reliability and internal consistency, and an excellent validity, and was shown to be able to be practically applicable in all patients with hand and elbow disorders.
Myotonic Dystrophy Health Index: Initial evaluation of a disease-specific outcome measure
