Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Jul;128(1):208-220.
doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e318218fc51.

Development of a brief, 12-item version of the Michigan Hand Questionnaire

Jennifer F Waljee  1 , H Myra Kim, Patricia B Burns, Kevin C Chung
Affiliations

Development of a brief, 12-item version of the Michigan Hand Questionnaire

Jennifer F Waljee et al. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

Background: The Michigan Hand Questionnaire is one of the most widely used hand-specific surveys that measure health status relevant to patients with acute and chronic hand disorders. However, item redundancy exists in the original version, and an abbreviated survey could minimize responder burden and offer broader applicability.

Methods: Patients (n = 422) with four specific hand conditions--rheumatoid arthritis (n = 162), thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (n = 31), carpal tunnel syndrome (n = 97), and distal radius fracture (n = 132)--completed the Michigan Hand Questionnaire at two time points. Correlation analysis identified two items from each of six domains (i.e., function, activities of daily living, work, pain, aesthetics, and satisfaction). The Brief Michigan Hand Questionnaire score was calculated as the sum of the responses to the 12 items. Psychometric analysis was performed to describe the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Brief Michigan Hand Questionnaire.

Results: The Brief Michigan Hand Questionnaire includes 12 items that were highly correlated with the summary Michigan Hand Questionnaire score (r = 0.99, p < 0.001). The Brief Michigan Hand Questionnaire scores were highly correlated between the two time periods (r = 0.78, p < 0.001) and by disease type. Responsiveness of the Brief Michigan Hand Questionnaire was high for all diseases and similar to that of the original Michigan Hand Questionnaire.

Conclusions: The 12-item Brief Michigan Hand Questionnaire is an efficient and versatile outcomes instrument specific to hand disability that retains the psychometric properties of the original Michigan Hand Questionnaire. The Brief Michigan Hand Questionnaire is an important tool with which to measure patient outcomes and the quality of care in hand surgery.

Clinical question/level of evidence: Diagnostic, I.(Figure is included in full-text article.).

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Development of the Brief Michigan Hand Questionnaire
Figure 2
Figure 2
The comparison between the adjusted mean summary scores of the brief MHQ and the original MHQ, stratified by disease type. Adjusted for age, gender and education level.
Figure 3
Figure 3. The correlation between the brief MHQ and objective measures of function, including grip and pinch strength, and Jebsen-Taylor test score, adjusted for disease type
Adjusted for age, gender and education level.
Figure 4
Figure 4. The correlation between the brief MHQ and patient self-assessment of function using the AIMS2 survey among RA patients
Adjusted for age, gender and education level.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. DeLisa JA. Maintenance of certification: continuing assessment of physician quality with respect to their commitment to quality patient care, lifelong learning, ongoing self-assessment, and improvement. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2009 Sep;88(9):775–9. - PubMed
    1. Chung KC, Shauver MJ. Measuring quality in health care and its implications for pay-for-performance initiatives. Hand Clin. 2009 Feb;25(1):71–81. vii. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chase RA. Costs, risks, and benefits of hand surgery. J Hand Surg Am. 1983 Sep;8(5 Pt 2):644–8. - PubMed
    1. Chung KC, Pillsbury MS, Walters MR, Hayward RA. Reliability and validity testing of the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. J Hand Surg Am. 1998 Jul;23(4):575–87. - PubMed
    1. Weber RA, DeSalvo DJ, Rude MJ. Five-year follow-up of carpal tunnel release in patients over age 65. J Hand Surg Am. Feb;35(2):207–11. - PubMed

Publication types