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Abstract
The Arthritis Hand Function Test (AHFT) is being developed for use with adults who have rheumatoid arthritis. It consists of 11 items designed to measure pure and applied strength and dexterity. The AHFT was administered twice to a sample of 20 subjects with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, to examine inter-rater and test-retest reliability. Subjects were also tested with the Jebsen Hand Function Test (JHFT) and completed the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) questionnaire so occupational therapists could examine concurrent validity with these two established instruments. Data analysis resulted in correlation coefficients of .89 to 1.00 for inter-rater and .53 to .95 for test-retest reliability of the AHFT. The AHFT correlated well (r= .63) with the JHFT for the right hand, but poorly (r= .08) for the left hand. The AHFT correlated well (r= .71) with the dexterity scale on the AIMS, but showed little relationship with other AIMS scales. These preliminary data suggest that the AHFT is a promising instrument for evaluating hand function in people who have arthritis.
Key words: hand rehabilitation * occupational therapy tests rheumatoid arthritis
The purpose of this paper is to describe a new test of hand function for adults with rheumatoid arthritis. The need to document functional disability specific to the hand in this population provided the impetus for developing the Arthritis Hand Function Test (AHFT). The AHFT differs from other tests of upper extremity function in that it examines the performance on pure and applied strength and dexterity tasks and follows standardized procedures.
Several tests of hand function are documented in the literature. Some rely heavily on pure measures of hand strength or dexterity (Kellor, Frost, Silberberg, Iverson, & Cummings, 1971); others rely on measuring range of motion (Swanson, Mays, & Yamuchi, 1968). While these are important aspects to measure, they do not directly assess the person's ability to apply hand strength and dexterity in performing activities associated with self-care, work, and leisure. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, many people with marked limitation of range of motion are able to complete daily living tasks, while others are not. Therefore, it is desirable to measure or quantify the ability to perform functional activities rather than to rely on supposition from the purely mechanical tests of...