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Published on: February 14, 2014
The use of a tablet computer to complete the DASH questionnaire
Christopher J Dy1, Thomas Schmicker, Quynh Tran
1Division of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY 10021, USA.
The Journal of Hand Surgery
|November 24, 2012
Summary
Electronic self-administration of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire on tablets significantly increased completion rates compared to paper forms. This digital approach yielded more scorable surveys and fewer omitted questions, improving data accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Health Informatics
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
Background:
- The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire is a crucial tool for assessing upper extremity function.
- Traditional paper-based administration of patient surveys can lead to incomplete data and scoring errors.
- Exploring digital alternatives for questionnaire administration is essential for improving data quality in clinical practice and research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate if electronic self-administration of the DASH questionnaire using tablet computers enhances completion rates compared to paper-based self-administration.
- To assess the impact of electronic versus paper administration on the number of scorable questionnaires and omitted questions.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis compared two groups of new patients in a hand surgeon's practice.
- Group 1 (n=222) received the DASH questionnaire in paper form; Group 2 (n=264) received it via tablet computer after a 5-week washout period.
- Scorability was determined by a maximum of 3 omitted questions; univariate and regression analyses controlled for patient age and sex.
Main Results:
- Overall, 12% of surveys were unscorable, but paper surveys had a significantly higher unscorable rate (24%) compared to electronic surveys (2%).
- Paper surveys had an average of 2.6 omitted questions, while electronic surveys had only 0.1 omitted questions.
- Electronic administration was associated with a 14-fold increased likelihood of yielding a scorable DASH questionnaire, even after controlling for age and sex.
Conclusions:
- Electronic self-administration of the DASH questionnaire significantly reduces omitted questions and increases the number of scorable responses.
- Tablet-based DASH administration offers potential benefits for both clinical data collection and research endeavors.
- Further prospective, randomized studies are recommended to confirm these findings and explore additional advantages of electronic data capture.
