Comparison of Instruments to Assess Hand Function in Children With Radius Deficiencies

• Published in: The Journal of hand surgery (American ed.) Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 531 - 540
• Main Authors: Buffart, Laurien M., MSc, Roebroeck, Marij E., PhD, Janssen, Wim G.M., MD, Hoekstra, Anneke, PT, Hovius, Steven E.R., MD, PhD, Stam, Henk J., MD, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New york, NY Elsevier Inc 01-04-2007; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Chi-Square Distribution; Child; Child, Preschool; Disability Evaluation; Disabled Children; Female; functional activities; Hand function in children; Hand Strength; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Orthopedic surgery; Orthopedics; Psychometrics; radial club hand; Radius - abnormalities; radius deficiency; Reproducibility of Results; Statistics, Nonparametric; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surveys and Questionnaires; Upper Extremity Deformities, Congenital - physiopathology; Hand function in children; functional activities; radius deficiency; radial club hand; Human; Radius; Hand function; Instruments; Deficiency; Child; Hand; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0363-5023; 1531-6564
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2007.01.011

Purpose For treatment evaluation of children with radius deficiencies (RDs), standardized assessment of hand function in performing activities is required. Instruments to measure hand function have been developed for other diagnoses. The current study aimed to find additional evidence for validity, reliability, and usefulness of these instruments for children with RDs. Methods In this study, 20 children with RDs (aged 4–12 years) participated; 16 were boys, and 13 children were unilaterally affected. Children were assessed using the Assisting Hand Assessment, the Unilateral Below Elbow Test, the Prosthetic Upper Extremity Functional Index, and ABILHAND-Kids. Construct and convergent validity of the instruments were studied focusing on predefined hypotheses and relationships with other instruments and the therapist’s global assessment. Test-retest reliability was assessed in 10 children by means of the intraclass correlation coefficients and the smallest detectable differences. Results For children with RDs, the Assisting Hand Assessment and the Prosthetic Upper Extremity Functional Index appeared to be the most valid function test and questionnaire according to the relationships found with type of RD, functional hand grips, and the therapist’s global assessment of hand function. Regarding test-retest reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.82 to 0.91, and smallest detectable differences were acceptably small. Conclusions The current results contribute to the evidence that the instruments, especially the Assisting Hand Assessment and the Prosthetic Upper Extremity Functional Index, provide valid and reliable results in children with RDs. Type of study/level of evidence Diagnostic I.