Title | Specificity of the minimal clinically important difference of the quick Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (QDASH) for distal upper extremity conditions. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2016 |
Authors | Smith-Forbes EV, Howell DM, Willoughby J, Pitts DG, Uhl TL |
Journal | J Hand Ther |
Volume | 29 |
Issue | 1 |
Pagination | 81-8; quiz 88 |
Date Published | 2016 Jan-Mar |
ISSN | 1545-004X |
Keywords | Adult, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cohort Studies, Disability Evaluation, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psychometrics, Radius Fractures, Reproducibility of Results, Retrospective Studies, Sensitivity and Specificity, Tennis Elbow, Upper Extremity |
Abstract | Retrospective cohort design. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for the quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QDASH) has been established using a pool of multiple conditions, and only exclusively for the shoulder. Understanding diagnoses-specific threshold change values can enhance the clinical decision-making process. Before and after QDASH scores for 406 participants with conditions of surgical distal radius fracture, non-surgical lateral epicondylitis, and surgical carpal tunnel release were obtained. The external anchor administered at each fourth visit was a 15-point global rating of change scale. The test-retest reliability of the QDASH was moderate for all diagnoses: intraclass correlation coefficient model 2, 1, for surgical distal radius = 0.71; non-surgical lateral epicondylitis = 0.69; and surgical carpal tunnel = 0.69. The minimum detectable change at the 90% confidence level was 25.28; 22.49; and 27.63 points respectively; and the MCID values were 25.8; 15.8 and 18.7, respectively. For these three distal upper extremity conditions, a QDASH MCID of 16-26 points could represent the estimate of change in score that is important to the patient and guide clinicians through the decision-making process. |
DOI | 10.1016/j.jht.2015.09.003 |
Alternate Journal | J Hand Ther |
PubMed ID | 26601561 |