A Retrospective Cohort Study of QuickDASH Scores for Three Hand Therapy Acute Upper Limb Conditions

Introduction The QuickDASH is a valid and reliable outcome measure widely used to assess the function and pain in arm, shoulder, and hand disabilities. A recent study introduced a QuickDASH 80% cut point test to gauge patients at risk of poor outcomes. However, the utility of this test has not been validated. Purpose To determine typical QuickDASH scores for three upper limb conditions and to test the sensitivity and specificity of the QuickDASH 80% cut point test in predicting patients at risk of poor outcomes. Methods This is a retrospective study with a total of 406 patient records for whom QuickDASH scores were examined. The sensitivity and specificity of the QuickDASH 80% cut point test was investigated for three acute upper limb conditions seen in hand therapy: surgical distal radius fracture, nonsurgical lateral epicondylitis, and carpal tunnel release. Results Typical scores were determined for three upper limb conditions. The QuickDASH 80% cut point test per upper limb condition returned poor sensitivity between 28.57% and 41.67%. Conclusion The results did not support the QuickDASH 80% cut point test as a predictor of final outcome in these three patient populations. Patients with the worse initial 20% scores were not correctly classified as worse 20% final scores. This study provides summary data from three upper limb conditions to provide clinicians with comparison data to establish goals and educate patients.