Validity and responsiveness of the Measure of Activity Performance of the Hand (MAP-Hand) in patients with hand osteoarthritis

Abstract

Background: The Measure of Activity Performance of the Hand (MAP-Hand) is reliable and valid in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Objective: To assess the validity and responsiveness of the MAP-Hand in patients with hand osteoarthritis. Methods: Patients were recruited from 2 rheumatology centres. The internal consistency of the MAP-Hand was assessed by Cronbach?s α. Content validity was evaluated based on patient interviews. Construct validity and responsiveness were based on predefined hypotheses of correlation between the MAP-Hand and concurrent measures. Results: Ten men and 201 women, mean age 62. 8 years (standard deviation (SD) 6. 8) and disease duration 12. 5 (SD 7. 5) years were included. A Cronbach?s α of 0. 86 was determined. All 18 items in the MAP-Hand were described in the interviews. ?Sixty-seven percent of the correlation coefficients for baseline scores and 75% for change scores were in correspondence with the predefined hypotheses. A high correlation was found between the MAP-Hand and the Australian/Canadian Hand Osteoarthritis Index function score at baseline (rho = 0. 76). A moderate correlation was found for change scores (rho = 0. 52). Conclusion: The content of the MAP-Hand adequately reflects described activity limitations in patients with hand osteoarthritis. The results suggest that the MAP-Hand has adequate internal consistency and responsiveness. Before the MAP-Hand is used in patients with hand osteoarthritis, evaluations of reliability and further construct validity are warranted.