Patient-Reported Outcomes Can Serve as a Functional Substitute for Grip Strength

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Hand Surgery
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Grip strength is a traditional objective measure of hand function.
• Patient-reported outcome metrics like the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Upper Extremity (PROMIS UE) are increasingly used.
• This study investigates the relationship between objective and subjective hand function measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the correlation between grip strength and PROMIS UE scores.
• To assess the correlation between grip strength, PROMIS UE, and the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) score.
• To evaluate PROMIS UE as a potential substitute for grip strength in clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Prospective data collection from hand and upper extremity clinic patients.
• Administration of PROMIS UE, Pain Interference (PI), Depression (D), and QuickDASH questionnaires.
• Calculation of a grip strength ratio (GSR) to normalize for individual differences.
• Analysis using Spearman's correlation coefficients with a significance level of p < 0.05.

Main Results:

• Fifty patients participated, with a median GSR of 0.55.
• QuickDASH strongly correlated with PROMIS UE (r = -0.81) and PI (r = 0.86).
• GSR showed moderate correlations with PROMIS UE (r = 0.63) and QuickDASH (r = -0.62).

Conclusions:

• PROMIS UE and QuickDASH scores correlate moderately with grip strength ratio (GSR).
• The findings suggest PROMIS UE is an effective measure for hand/wrist function in patients.
• PROMIS UE may potentially substitute for grip strength measurements in clinical practice.