Reliability, validity and responsiveness of the Arabic version of the Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH-Arabic)

AbstractPurpose To investigate the psychometric properties (reliability, validity and responsiveness) of the DASH-Arabic in a cohort of Arabic patients presenting with various upper extremity conditions. Methods Participants were 139 patients with various upper extremity conditions, who completed the DASH-Arabic at the baseline, 2–5 days later and 30–36 days later. Participants completed demographic data forms, the SF-36 and VAS at baseline, and a Global Rating of Change scale at first and second follow-ups. Results Cronbach’s alpha of the DASH-Arabic was 0.94. Test–retest reliability was excellent with an ICC of 0.97. The SEM was 3.50 and the MDC95 was 9.28. Construct validity of the DASH-Arabic with the SF-36 subscales and VAS scores ranged from r −0.32 to −0.57, all statistically significant (p < 0.001). The effect size (ES) for the DASH-Arabic was 1.39 and its standard response mean was 1.51. The area under the curve was 0.82 (95% CI = 0.72–0.92, p < 0.001). The optimally efficient cutoff for an impro...