Keywords
hand
peripheral nerves
Hansen´s disease
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: to develop a functional evaluation questionnaire to limitations in hand function by western adults individuals with lesions of the ulnar, median or radial nerves in their routine tasks. Design: an interview was conducted with 50 patients of 21-65 years of age with ulnar, median and radial nerve lesions to identify any manual difficulties in their performance of routine daily tasks. Six hand surgeons andnine hand therapists then analyzed the tasks listed by the patients and graded them in levels of importance for the evaluation of hand function, after which a questionnaire based on this classification was drawn up. Results: the instrument Evaluation of Hand with Nerve Damage Questionnaire, consists of 30 objective questions divided into task domains (dressing, feeding, personal hygiene, housework, writing, use of computers and “others”), answers being classified according to degree of difficulty. The questionnaire was completed by 32 patients of 18-65 years of age with sequelae of Hansen’s disease. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was used to assess the reliability of the instrument. Following removal of two questions regarding computer use, Cronbach’s coefficient alpha increased to 0.90. Conclusion: the Evaluation of Hand with Nerve Damage Questionnaire shows a high internal consistency. In addition it is concise, easy to fill instrument not requiring specialized professional to apply and allows evaluation of the degree of independence of the individual with peripheral nerve lesion in the hand in performing routine daily tasks.
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