title: Hand function assessment in patients receiving haemodialysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the usefulness of Duruöz's Hand Index (DHI) in patients undergoing haemodialysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients receiving haemodialysis for more than 2 months were recruited randomly. Demographic, clinical and functional characteristics of patients were evaluated. Functional assessment was performed with DHI, Hand Functional Index (HFI), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Purdue Pegboard, grip strength and 3 kinds of pinch strengths. DHI was correlated (Spearman's) with the other functional parameters in assessing the convergent validity and with non-functional parameters in assessing the divergent validity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty patients with a mean age of 50.05 were recruited. The average duration of haemodialysis was 55.02 months. DHI is significantly correlated with HAQ, HFI, Purdue Pegboard scores, grip strength and 3 types of pinch strengths while no significant correlation was found with non-functional parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DHI is a practical scale which is efficient in assessing accurately the functional disability of the hand in patients receiving haemodialysis.
authors.affiliation: Physical Medicine and REhabilitation Department, Celal Bayar University Medical School, Manisa, Turkey. duruoz@superonline.com
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Duruöz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cerrahoglu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dincer-Turhan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kürsat
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis