title: The impact of Dupuytren disease on patient activity and quality of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the impact of Dupuytren disease (DD) from the patients' perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Audio-recorded interviews were conducted for patients with Dupuytren disease (DD) attending outpatient clinics. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to content analysis. This analysis highlighted key impact areas and common themes in individuals' personal experiences. These were then allocated to categories specified by the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (impairments and activity limitations) and the needs-based model of quality of life (QoL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Qualitative unstructured interviews were conducted with 34 patients (74% men; age, 41-80 y; mean [SD], 64 [13] y). The sample had a wide range of severity and duration of DD (range, 0.5-40; mean [SD], 13 [10] y). Nine hundred fifty-three statements relating to the impact of DD were identified from the interview transcripts. These statements fell into 2 major categories of impact: activity limitations (10 themes including problems with dressing, gripping, and personal care) and QoL (6 need categories: physiological, safety and security, social, affection, esteem, and cognitive needs).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings from the interviews suggest that DD affects both performance of activities and QoL. To determine accurately the effectiveness of DD interventions from the patients' perspective, it is important to determine their impacts on both activity limitations and QoL. We intend to develop valid, reproducible, and responsive DD-specific scales for this purpose.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study identifies key issues specific to DD that influence patients' functioning and QoL. The information reported will form the basis of DD-specific patient-reported outcomes measures for use in clinical practice and evaluations of interventions.
authors.affiliation: Galen Research Ltd, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilburn
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Perry-Hinsley
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bayat
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004387:Dupuytren Contracture / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D064702:International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life