FREE TO NON-PROFIT USERS
use in research and clinical practice

SHORT INDEPENDENTLY FUNCTIONING SCALES
choose the scales you need for your study or clinic

MEASURING WHAT MATTERS TO PATIENTS
appearance, quality of life, experience of care, treatment

USED WIDELY AROUND THE WORLD
available in multiple languages

STRONG PSYCHOMETRIC PERFORMANCE
rigorously developed and sensitive to clinical change

HAND-Q

CONCEPT-DRIVEN APPROACH

HAND-Q scales were developed from 62 concept elicitation interviews with people with any type of congenital or acquired condition affecting the hands. To establish content validity, we conducted 20 cognitive interview and obtained input from 25 international experts. The HAND-Q was then field-tested in an international sample of 1277 patients from 6 countries.

MODULAR DESIGN

The HAND-Q includes 14 independently functioning scales that measure 4 overarching domains. The variety of scales provides flexibility to choose the subset of scales best suited to measure the outcomes of interest in any given study or clinical situation.

Advancing Knowledge &
Improving Health Outcomes

Research

Field-tested in sample of 1277 patients with any type of congenital and acquired hand conditions.

Industry

Can be used in international clinical trials of hand treatments.

Benchmarking

Can be used to benchmark outcomes in quality improvement initiatives.

Patient Care

Designed using a modern psychometric approach to facilitate use in patient care.

Scale Structure

The HAND-Q is a rigorously developed patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure that can be used internationally to collect and compare evidence-based outcomes data from patients with any type of congenital or acquired hand condition. The HAND-Q measures 4 overarching domains. Each domain is composed of 1 or more independently functioning scales. Clinicians and researchers are able to administer the subset of scales relevant to their situation.

APPEARANCE

Two scales measure appearance of the hands. One scale is relevant to anyone with a hand condition that affects appearance. The other includes content that is age-related and could be used to evaluate the outcome of anti-aging treatments (eg, fillers).

HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE

Five scales measure aspects of health-related quality of life. The scales cover hand function and symptoms, life impact, and psychological and sexual well-being.

EXPERIENCE OF CARE

Five scales measure patients’ experience of healthcare. One scale measures satisfaction with hand surgery information. The other 4 scales measure satisfaction with the healthcare team (i.e., doctor/surgeon, hand therapist, and office staff) and hand clinic.

TREATMENT

One scale measures satisfaction with a hand splint or brace. Items ask how easy the splint is to remove, how comfortable it feels to wear, and the ability to do various activities with the splint on. The other scale measures satisfaction with outcome of treatment.

HAND-Q FRAMEWORK

CO-DEVELOPERS

Dr Anne Klassen

McMaster University, CA

Dr Kyra Sierakowski

Flinders Medical Centre, AU

Dr Nicola Dean