Psychometric Features of the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) Questionnaire in Iranian Persons Who Had Scaphoid or Distal Radius Fracture

Objective: It is essential to have a suitable instrument for accurate assessments of pain and disability outcomes during interventions and to guide hand surgery and rehabilitation programs in distal radius or scaphoid fracture. This study was designed to evaluate the psychometric features of the Patient-rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) questionnaire in Iranian persons with a history of scaphoid and distal radius fractures. Methods: One hundred and fifty subjects with a history of scaphoid and distal radius fractures were recruited from hospital-based outpatient hand clinics and completed the PRWE 2 and 7 days after fracture. In addition, Quick-Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (Quick-DASH), percentage of wrist range of motion (%ROM), Visual Analog Scale Pain/Disability (VAS-P, VAS-D), Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaires, pinch and grip strength (%) were taken from the participants. Cronbachchr('39')s α and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) were used to evaluate the internal consistency and test-retest reliability, respectively. Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficient was calculated for assessing the construct validity. Results: No floor or ceiling effect was found. Very high test-retest reliability was obtained for PRWE total score and subscores (ICC≥0.92). Cronbachchr('39')s α was ≥0.78 for the PRWE and its subscales. The PRWE total score had a weak to strong (0.24-0.74) correlation with the average of %ROM, %power grip, %pinch strength, VAS-P, VAS-D, SF-36, and Quick-DASH. The standard error of measurement of PRWE total score was 3.93 and its smallest real difference was 10.86. Discussion: The PRWE has acceptable validity and excellent reliability for measuring disability and pain in persons with scaphoid and distal radius fractures.