Reliability and validity of the arthritis hand function test in adults with osteoarthritis

The Arthritis Hand Function Test (AHFT) has shown promise as a standardized, reliable measure of hand function in adults with rheumatoid arthritis in previous studies. This study adds to the development of the multi-item AHFT by evaluating its inter-rater and test-retest reliability in a sample of 26 adults (mean age, 67 years) with osteoarthritis. Further because ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) is predicated on physical components such as hand function, the validity of the AHFT is examined by correlating the scores achieved by these subjects with their scores from self-report measures of physical physical, ADL and instrumental ADL. Analysis indicates strong inter-rater reliability (r=0.99 or better for all AHFT items) and moderate to strong test-retest reliability (range, r=0.74 to r=0.96). Moderate correlations for most AHFT items with physical ADL and instrumental ADL lend support to its development as a valid test of hand function.