Abstract
Background
Generic upper extremity disability questionnaires utilize standardized items. The Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) allows the patient to identify specific self-reported items. This study evaluated the validity of the PSFS to assess outcome in patients with hand fractures or dislocations.
Methods
Adults with hand fractures or dislocations, who completed hand therapy between January 2012 and January 2013, were eligible for inclusion. At the initial and final assessment, each patient was asked to complete the PSFS. Each patient identified three items that were difficult or they were unable to perform, and the degree of difficulty was ranked from 0 to 10 (able to perform at pre-injury level). We excluded patients with an incomplete PSFS. Statistical analyses evaluated the relationships between the PSFS and the independent variables.
Results
There were 63 patients (37 men, 26 women); 21 of the 63 patients underwent surgery for fracture fixation. The mean duration of hand therapy treatment was 2.2 ± 1.4 months. The mean PSFS scores were as follows: initial 3.2 ± 2.2; final 8.1 ± 2.2. There was a significant improvement in PSFS scores from initial to final assessment (p < 0.001) and a moderate correlation (r = 0.3, p = 0.02). There was no statistical difference in PSFS scores between men and women or surgery and no surgery.
Conclusions
In these patients with hand fractures or dislocations, the PSFS indicated significant improvement in function. Using items identified by the patient, the PSFS provides a valuable perspective of outcome and may be used in conjunction with generic disease-specific questionnaire for assessment of the upper extremity.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beaton DE, Katz JN, Fossel AH, Wright JG, Tarasuk V, Bombardier C. Measuring the whole or the parts? Validity, reliability and responsiveness of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand outcome measure in different regions of the upper extremity. J Hand Ther. 2001;14:128–46.
Chung KC, Pillsbury MS, Walters MR, Hayward RA. Reliability and validity testing of the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. J Hand Surg. 1998;23A:575–87.
Cleland JA, Fritz JM, Whitman JM, Palmer JA. The reliability and construct validity of the Neck Disability Index and patient specific functional scale in patients with cervical radiculopathy. Spine. 2006;31:598–602.
Gay RE, Amadio PC, Johnson JC. Comparative responsiveness of the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand, the carpal tunnel questionnaire, and the SF-36 to clinical change after carpal tunnel release. J Hand Surg. 2003;28A:250–4.
Gross DP, Mattie MC, Asante AK. The Patient-Specific Functional Scale: validity in workers’ compensation claimants. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008;89:1294–9.
Hudak PL, Amadio PC, Bombardier C. Development of an upper extremity outcome measure: the DASH (disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand). Am J Ind Med. 1996;29:602–8.
Jenkinson C, Wright L, Coulter A. Criterion validity and reliability of the SF-36 in a population sample. Qual Life Res. 1994;3:7–12.
McMillan CR, Binhammer PA. Which outcome measure is the best? Evaluating responsiveness of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire, the Michigan Hand Questionnaire and the Patient-Specific Functional Scale following hand and wrist surgery. Hand. 2009;4:311–8.
Novak CB, Anastakis DJ, Beaton DE, Mackinnon SE, Katz J. Validity of the Patient Specific Functional Scale in patients following upper extremity nerve injury. Hand. 2013;8:132–8.
Pengel LHM, Refshauge KM, Maher CG. Responsiveness for pain, disability and physical impairment outcomes in patients with low back pain. Spine. 2004;29:879–83.
SooHoo NF, McDonald AP, Seiler JG, McGillivary GR. Evaluation of construct validity of the DASH questionnaire by correlation to the SF-36. J Hand Surg. 2008;27A:537–41.
Stratford P, Gill C, Westaway M, Binkley J. Assessing disability and change on individual patients: a report of a patient specific measure. Physiother Can. 1995;47:258–62.
Westaway M, Stratford P, Binkley J. The Patient-Specific Functional Scale: validation of its use in persons with neck dysfunction. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1998;27:331–8.
Conflict of Interest
Christine B. Novak declares that she has no conflict of interest.
Marianne Williams declares that she has no conflict of interest.
Kathleen Conaty declares that she has no conflict of interest.
Statement of Human and Animal Rights
All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008(5). This study was approved by the UHN Research Ethics Board for a retrospective chart review, and no patients were contacted.
Statement of Informed Consent
No patient-identifying information is included in this manuscript and no patients were contacted for this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
This study was presented as a poster at the American Association for Hand Surgery Annual Meeting, January 8–11, 2014.
About this article
Cite this article
Novak, C.B., Williams, M.M. & Conaty, K. Evaluation of the Patient-Specific Functional Scale in hand fractures and dislocations. HAND 10, 85–87 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11552-014-9658-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11552-014-9658-2