Generic ABILHAND Questionnaire Can Measure Manual Ability across a Variety of Motor Impairments

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Generic ABILHAND Questionnaire Can Measure Manual Ability across a Variety of Motor Impairments
Language: English
Authors: Simone, Anna, Rota, Viviana, Tesio, Luigi
Source: International Journal of Rehabilitation Research. Jun 2011 34(2):131-140.
Availability: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 351 West Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Tel: 800-638-3030; e-mail: customerservice@lww.com; Web site: http://www.lww.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Physical Description: PDF
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2011
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Questionnaires, Patients, Foreign Countries, Raw Scores, Diseases, Physical Disabilities, Task Analysis, Measures (Individuals), Motor Reactions, Rehabilitation, Control Groups, Error of Measurement, Computation
DOI: 10.1097/MRR.0b013e328343d4d3
ISSN: 0342-5282
Abstract: ABILHAND is, in its original version, a 46-item, 4-level questionnaire. It measures the difficulty perceived by patients with rheumatoid arthritis as they do various daily manual tasks. ABILHAND was originally built through Rasch analysis. In a later study, it was simplified to a generic 23-item, three-level questionnaire, showing both cross-cultural (Belgium vs. Italy) and cross-impairment (rheumatoid arthritis vs. stroke) validity. Later research returned to the development of impairment-specific versions, with modified item sets and levels. Each version has its own Rasch-derived item difficulty calibrations, which are required to extract the patient's measure from the individual string of responses, through computerized algorithms. All of these hamper the practical application of the scale in rehabilitation units, where patients with diverse conditions may share similar impairments and treatment approaches. In this study through Rasch analysis the "generic" scale was applied to 126 chronic patients with different upper limb impairments, and to 24 healthy controls. It was supported that the generic questionnaire remains valid across a variety of motor impairments. To further facilitate clinical application, a normative cut-off ([greater than]79 of 100) is suggested. Rasch-based item calibrations are provided together with a software routine designed to calculate, on individual patients, linear 0-100 measures and error estimates from the raw scores.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2011
Accession Number: EJ926489
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:ABILHAND is, in its original version, a 46-item, 4-level questionnaire. It measures the difficulty perceived by patients with rheumatoid arthritis as they do various daily manual tasks. ABILHAND was originally built through Rasch analysis. In a later study, it was simplified to a generic 23-item, three-level questionnaire, showing both cross-cultural (Belgium vs. Italy) and cross-impairment (rheumatoid arthritis vs. stroke) validity. Later research returned to the development of impairment-specific versions, with modified item sets and levels. Each version has its own Rasch-derived item difficulty calibrations, which are required to extract the patient's measure from the individual string of responses, through computerized algorithms. All of these hamper the practical application of the scale in rehabilitation units, where patients with diverse conditions may share similar impairments and treatment approaches. In this study through Rasch analysis the "generic" scale was applied to 126 chronic patients with different upper limb impairments, and to 24 healthy controls. It was supported that the generic questionnaire remains valid across a variety of motor impairments. To further facilitate clinical application, a normative cut-off ([greater than]79 of 100) is suggested. Rasch-based item calibrations are provided together with a software routine designed to calculate, on individual patients, linear 0-100 measures and error estimates from the raw scores.
ISSN:0342-5282
DOI:10.1097/MRR.0b013e328343d4d3