Reliability of the Filipino Translated Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (FIL-DASH) Questionnaire Among Hiligaynon Patients with Forearm Fractures

Background. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire is a validated scoring system for distal and diaphyseal forearm fractures. The Filipino translated version (FIL-DASH) is reliable and valid as an outcome measure for adult Filipino patients with brachial plexus injury. However, there is still a paucity of published literature on the reliability of FIL-DASH among Filipinos; hence, this study was conducted to determine its reliability among native Hiligaynon speakers. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to determine the reliability of the Filipino translated DASH questionnaire (FIL-DASH) among Hiligaynon patients with forearm fractures managed in a public tertiary hospital in Iloilo City, Philippines. Methodology. A descriptive study was conducted in a public tertiary hospital in Iloilo City, Philippines, from November 2022 to May 2024. Thirty patients with forearm fractures, selected through convenience sampling, were given the FIL-DASH questionnaire twice within 7 to 14 days (mean: 10 + 3.11 days). Internal consistency was determined using Cronbach’s alpha, and test-retest reliability was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results. Internal consistency was high with Cronbach's alpha exceeding 0.8 for all sections: 0.9562 for the overall questionnaire, 0.9469 for the disability/symptom section, 0.8545 for the work module, and 0.9752 for the sport/instrument module. For the test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficients for each module were: 0.953 for the disability/symptom section, 0.919 for the work module, and 0.982 for the sport/instrument module. Most items within the disability/symptom section of the questionnaire exhibited coefficients exceeding 0.5, with the exceptions of questions 3 and 22 (correlations of 0.472 and 0.471, respectively). Conclusion. These results showed that the FIL-DASH questionnaire is generally a reliable functional outcome measure for Hiligaynon patients with forearm fractures. However, translation or clarification may be needed for the items with low test-retest ICC.