Danish version of the Patient-Rated Wrist/Hand Evaluation questionnaire: Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, test–retest reliability and construct validity

Abstract

Introduction: In Denmark, there is a growing need for valid, reliable and standardized patient-rated outcome measures for use in clinical practice and research. The Patient-Rated Wrist/Hand Evaluation (PRWHE) is a self-reported assessment of hand-related disorders that measures pain and functional difficulties in activities of daily living. The purpose of this study was to: (1) translate and cross-culturally adapt the PRWHE into Danish and (2) assess the reliability and construct validity of the Danish version in patients with hand-related disorders. Methods: The PRWHE was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Danish using the dual-panel approach. A total of 97 patients with diverse hand-related disorders and a mean age of 52.6 years (SD 15.2) participated in the psychometric testing. They were assessed on two occasions. Test–retest reliability was assessed using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC 2.1 ) to assess test–retest, Cronbach’s alpha to assess internal consistency and a Bland–Altman plot to estimate measurement error. Construct validity was investigated by evaluating the relationship between the Danish PRWHE (PRWHE-DK) and the Danish validated version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH). Results: Psychometric testing demonstrated an excellent test–retest reliability (ICC 2.1 = 0.94) and internal consistency (alpha = 0.96). A systematic error of 1.5 and a measurement error of ± 16.1 were found. Furthermore, a strong correlation was found between PRWHE-DK and DASH (r = 0.71). Conclusions: The PRWHE-DK is a reliable, valid instrument for patients with different kinds of hand-related disorders, and can be used in clinical practice and multi-cultural research studies to measure pain and functional disability.