Reliability of a Visual Analog Version of the QuickDASH

• Published in: Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume 2006-08, Vol.88 (8), p.1782-1787
• Main Authors: Matheson, Leonard N., Melhorn, J. Mark, Mayer, Tom G., Theodore, Brian R., Gatchel, Robert J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0021-9355
• DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.F.00406

Background: The QuickDASH, an abbreviated form of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire, uses a graded-adjectives ordinal measurement response scale. In order to improve the sensitivity of the measure and to make it compatible with widely used measures of pain and disability, a visual analog scale version was developed. The present study investigated the reliability of the new version over time when used for the evaluation of patients undergoing treatment. Methods: A test-retest model with a two-day interval was used to evaluate a sample of thirty-eight consecutive patients in an interdisciplinary tertiary rehabilitation setting who were identified as having an upper extremity disorder. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient indicating test-retest reliability was 0.90 for the eleven-item QuickDASH visual analog scale questionnaire (without the work component) and 0.94 for the fifteen-item questionnaire (with the work component), neither of which was significantly different from the results reported for the original questionnaire. Conclusions: The QuickDASH visual analog scale questionnaire has acceptable reliability over time, and it can be used as an alternative to the original QuickDASH.