The Malay Version of the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire: Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validation and Reliability...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• The Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) is a globally utilized patient-reported outcome measure for hand disorders.
• Cross-cultural adaptations of the MHQ exist worldwide, highlighting its importance in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate the MHQ into the Malay language.
• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Malay version of the MHQ.
• To compare the Malay MHQ with the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire in a Malay-speaking population.

Main Methods:

• Cross-cultural adaptation of the MHQ into Malay following established guidelines.
• Pre-testing with 30 patients to ensure comprehensibility of the Malay MHQ.
• Recruitment of 100 patients with hand disorders to complete the Malay MHQ and DASH questionnaires.
• Assessment of test-retest reliability (2-week interval) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for the Malay MHQ.
• Evaluation of construct validity through Spearman's correlation between MHQ and DASH scores.

Main Results:

• The Malay MHQ demonstrated high comprehensibility, with 86.7% of pre-test participants understanding all questions.
• Excellent test-retest reliability was observed, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.925 to 0.984.
• Good internal consistency was confirmed, with Cronbach's alpha values between 0.82 and 0.97.
• Fair to moderately strong correlations (0.513–0.757) were found between the Malay MHQ and DASH scores, supporting construct validity.

Conclusions:

• The Malay version of the MHQ has been successfully translated and culturally adapted.
• The Malay MHQ exhibits excellent reliability, encompassing both reproducibility and internal consistency.
• The study confirms good construct validity for the Malay MHQ when compared to the DASH questionnaire.