Psychometric Properties of the QuickDASH in Patients with Neck Pain

Background/Objectives: Many patients with neck pain have upper limb disorders, and prolonged use of computers at work commonly induces neck/shoulder pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Quick Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) in patients with neck pain. Methods: A total of 189 patients with neck pain were included in acceptability, reliability, validity, and responsiveness studies. The floor and ceiling effects were used for assessing acceptability. The internal reliability and test-retest reliability were used for assessing reliabilities. The construct validities (convergent/divergent validity and exploratory/confirmatory factor analyses) were used for assessing validity. The effect size (ES) and standardized response mean (SRM) were used for assessing responsiveness. Results: The QuickDASH had a slight floor effect (16.4%). For reliability, the internal consistency (Cα= 0.945) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.98; SEM = 3.17, and MDC = 8.79) were excellent. For validity, the convergent and divergent validities were satisfactory. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors of the QuickDASH (function factor and symptom factor), and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor model. Responsiveness was supported by the high ES (0.85) and SRM (0.82). Conclusions: The QuickDASH is a reliable, valid, and responsive instrument for assessing upper limb disorders in patients with neck pain.