Interreliability of the Suitcase Packing Activity in Individuals With Hand Burns

Many performance-based tools to assess hand function fall short of providing assessment in an occupation-based fashion. Here we report the interrater reliability of a standardized upper extremity (UE) assessment, the Suitcase Packing Activity (SPA), in individuals who sustained hand burns. We included adults with deep partial thickness or full thickness burns of one or both hands. Unstable orthopedic UE injuries, amputation of the thumb or UE, and/or mild cognitive deficits were excluded. SPA performance was independently rated by 2-3 assessors. Thirty participants, mean age 40.5 (SD = 14.7) years, 66.7% male were included. Interclass Correlation Coefficients Model 3, single rater, absolute agreement (ICC3,1) was used to assess interrater reliability. The ICC3,1 was 1.000 for total time, > 0.923 for accuracy score, and 1.000 for efficiency score. The SPA demonstrates good to excellent interrater reliability and suggests the validity of the SPA assess hand function after burn injury in an occupation-based manner.