Measuring Upper Limb Function with DASH
Author Information
Author(s): Diane Dixon, Marie Johnston, Margaret McQueen, Charles Court-Brown
Primary Institution: University of Stirling
Hypothesis
Can the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH) effectively measure the health outcomes defined by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)?
Conclusion
The DASH can measure the three health outcomes identified by the ICF.
Supporting Evidence
- The DASH contains items able to measure each of the three ICF outcomes with discriminant validity.
- The study identified 27 pure construct measures within the DASH.
- The method of Discriminant Content Validity was used to assess the DASH items.
Takeaway
The DASH questionnaire helps doctors understand how arm, shoulder, and hand problems affect people's daily lives.
Methodology
Twenty-four judges used Discriminant Content Validation to classify DASH items according to ICF outcomes.
Limitations
Some items did not achieve significant agreement among judges.
Participant Demographics
Judges included clinical, industrial, and health psychologists, as well as health service researchers.
Statistical Information
P-Value
≤ 0.001
Confidence Interval
95% C.I. 0.94–0.97
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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