title: Evaluation of the construct validity of the DASH questionnaire by correlation to the SF-36.
abstract: The construct validity of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire was evaluated by examining its correlation to the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36). The study sample was 90 patients seen at the upper-extremity clinic of a university-based orthopedic practice. Patients were asked to complete a packet that included the DASH and SF-36 questionnaires. Pearson correlation coefficients of the DASH questionnaire to the SF-36 subscales ranged from -0.36 to -0.62. The DASH questionnaire had fewer ceiling and floor scores than most of the SF-36 subscales. These results support the DASH questionnaire as a valid measure of health status useful in patients with a wide variety of upper-extremity complaints.
authors.affiliation: Emory University Hospital and The Emory Clinic, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Nelson Fong
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: SooHoo
authors.forename: Allen P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: John Gray
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Seiler
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: McGillivary
mesh_terms: D001134:Arm Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010358:Patient Participation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires