Do hand outcome measures reflect cultural influences?

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the activities listed in DASH, MHQ, QuickDASH with theactivities listed in Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) in a Turkish patient populationwith hand injury.Methods: COPM questionnaire was administered to 163 participants (61 male and 102 female; mean age40.72± 13.70 years). The activities that were stated in COPM were categorized and checked whether theywere present in DASH-T, MHQ, QuickDASH.Results: The highest rated stated activities were“carrying a heavy object” (39.2%), “cleaning the house”(25.7%) and“writing” (15.9%). DASH reflects 30% whereas MHQ and QuickDASH reflect 16.32% and 10.2%of the problematic activities, respectively.Conclusion: None of three questionnaires have satisfactory results for reflecting the problematic activities among hand injured Turkish people. Open ended interviews should be irrevocable part of assessment process in order to describe a person-center treatment program.