Validity, Reproducibility, and Minimal Detectable Difference of the Functional Upper Extremity Function Test - Simplified Version - for Adults With Moderate to Severe Asthma and COPD

• Published in: Respiratory care 2023-08, Vol.68 (8), p.1058-1066
• Main Authors: Correia, Natielly Soares, Oliveira, Joice Mara de, Fernandes, Diery Rugila, Feitosa, Denner Idelmar, Pereira, Daniel Martins, do Amaral, Daniel Pereira, Mesquita, Rafael, Pitta, Fabio, Dal Corso, Simone, Furlanetto, Karina Couto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Arm; Asthma; Asthma - diagnosis; Complications and side effects; Diagnosis; Extremities, Upper; Function tests (Medicine); Hand Strength; Health aspects; Humans; Lung diseases, Obstructive; Methods; Original Research; Physiological aspects; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Reproducibility of Results; Upper Extremity
• ISSN: 0020-1324; 1943-3654; 1943-3654
• DOI: 10.4187/respcare.10464

Upper-limbs (ULs) functional tests which are valid and reliable for individuals with chronic respiratory disease (CRD) are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the intra-rater reproducibility, validity, minimal detectable difference (MDD), and learning effect of the Upper Extremity Function Test - simplified version (UEFT_S) functional test and to characterize its performance for adults with moderate-severe asthma and COPD. The UEFT_S was performed twice, and the number of elbow flexions in 20 s was the outcome. In addition, spirometry, 6-min walk test (6MWT), handgrip dynamometry (HGD), and usual and maximum timed-up-and-go tests (TUG_usual and TUG_max) were also performed. Eighty-four individuals with moderate-severe CRD and 84 control individuals matched by anthropometric data were analyzed. Individuals with CRD presented better performance in the UEFT_S than controls ( = .023). UEFT_S correlated significantly with HGD, TUG_usual, TUG_max, and 6MWT ( < .047 for all). The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.91 [0.86-0.94], and the MDD was 0.4%. The UEFT_S is a valid and reproducible tool to assess the functionality of the ULs in people with moderate-severe asthma and COPD. When applied in the modified form, the test can be considered simple, fast, and inexpensive, with an easy outcome to interpret.