[Validation of questionnaire for conditions of the upper extremity].
BACKGROUND
DASH stands for Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand and is a questionnaire developed in the US that can be used for assessment of patients with disability in the upper extremities. On the basis of the answers provided, a numerical DASH score can be calculated that reflects the patient's subjective evaluation of his or her disability. DASH would be of use for all upper-limb disorders and is appropriate for both acute and chronic disorders of either traumatic or non-traumatic aetiology. We present a study in which DASH has been used in a group of patients with a variety of conditions in the upper extremity. The aim was to evaluate the reproducibility of the scoring of Danish patients and to evaluate whether the questionnaire was useful in Danish clinical practice.


METHODS
A total of 83 patients joined the study, 72 of these with hand-related conditions and ten with shoulder problems. The patients included were all in a stable stage of their disease, which typically was chronic, and they were invited to answer the questionnaire in connection with a medical examination preceding surgery or at the final ambulatory visit after treatment had been given.


RESULTS
A total of 54 of the patients met all criteria concerning delays and responsiveness. The DASH scores of the first and second test were numerically close with an intra-class coefficient of 0.85. Cronbach's alpha was 0.96, indicating that the subtests were internally consistent. Spearman's correlation coefficient was overall 0.9 and, thus, there was a strong correlation between the first and the second response.


CONCLUSIONS
The study reveals a good reproducibility of the DASH questionnaire. DASH scoring is stable and reliable and useful in a Danish patient population.
Håndkirurgisk Afsnit, Ortopaedkirurgisk Afdeling, Gentofte Hospital, Denmark. al.herup@sport.dk
Alex
A
Herup
Søren
S
Merser
Michel
M
Boeckstyns
D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012782:Shoulder / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires