Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the hand scleroDerma lived experience scale

The Hand scleroDerma lived Experience (HAnDE) Scale is a patient-reported outcome measure assessing the effect of hand involvement on the life of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). The purpose of the study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt HAnDE Scale into the Turkish and investigate its reliability and validity in Turkish-speaking patients with SSc.

Individuals diagnosed with SSc, aged between 18 and 65, were included in the study. The HAnDE was culturally adapted across languages following Beaton's guidelines. The internal consistency of the HAnDE-T questionnaire was evaluated using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Convergent validity was tested using the Pearson's correlation coefficient. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The construct validity of the HAnDE-T questionnaire was assessed by factor analysis. The construct validity of the HAnDE-T was evaluated by correlating the scores between HAnDE-T and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), the 36 Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), and The Mouth Handicap in Systemic Sclerosis Scale (MHISS).

Seventy-seven patients with SSc were included in this study. Cronbach's alpha was 0.87, and test-retest reliability assessed using ICC demonstrated moderate reliability (ICC = 0.595). The KMO was 0.829 and the Bartlett Sphericity value was significant. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure explaining 69.5% of the total variance. Correlations of HAnDE-T with HAQ, SF-36, and MHISS scores ranged from low to moderate.

The HAnDE-T is a valid and reliable scale for evaluating the comprehensive impact of hand involvement on life experiences of Turkish-speaking patients with SSc.

NCT06536595, August 06, 2024, "retrospectively registered".