Italian version of the Jebsen-Taylor hand function test for the assessment of hand disorders: a cross-sectional study

IMPORTANCE: Having a test to evaluate hand function is fundamental to occupational therapy practice. OBJECTIVE: To assess the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Three health care institutions in Rome, Italy. PARTICIPANTS: 136 people with injuries, burns, or neurological diseases of the hand. INTERVENTION: No intervention was provided. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We administered the JTHFT, an assessment of fine motor skills during performance of activities of daily living, and compared results with dynamometer readings. RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation total time required to perform all subtests was 89.47 ± 67.98 s for the dominant hand (DH) and 167.11 ± 257.58 s for the nondominant hand (NDH). Reliability procedures were applied to data from 51 participants; mean intrarater intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was .814 for the DH and .981 for the NDH, and mean interrater ICC was .818 for the DH and .821 for the NDH. Pearson's correlation coefficients were significant. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Results support the use of the Italian version of the JTHFT as a measure of functional dexterity in people with upper limb disorders. WHAT THIS ARTICLE ADDS: The JTHFT is a valid and reliable assessment tool for nonspecific hand diseases. Italian health professionals can now use the JTHFT with more confidence.