A Shortened Upper Extremity Functional Capacity Evaluation for Patients with Complaints of Hand, Wrist, Forearm, and Elbow: Composition and Assessment of Construct Validity and Test-Retest Reliability.

The analysed sample was 45 at the first visit and 42 at the second visit, below the intended sample of at least 50. Recruitment was convenience sampling from one hospital clinic, and data collection stopped early because of pandemic restrictions. Of 72 consented people, 60 were included, 45 attended the first visit and 42 the second, so many did not complete both visits. 3 participants withdrew after the first visit because their complaints increased. About 15% of potential participants were excluded because they did not meet the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire criteria, which may limit generalisation. 84% of participants at the first visit had the dominant hand affected, which may have hidden differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic sides. The uncertainty ranges around some reliability results, especially dexterity tests, included the 0.70 threshold, so stability is not certain. Dexterity tests showed learning effects, which can reduce the reliability of shortened versions. The shortened tests were not administered separately; scores were derived from the original tests, so real-world shortened administration may behave differently. The study did not test whether the shortened evaluation detects change over time or whether the tests form coherent groups.

Do not treat the shortened evaluation as a validated replacement for every full-length test. Grip and pinch strength shortened well, but dexterity tests needed two trials, several tests did not match patient-reported hand function, and dominant-hand pegboard scores were unstable between visits.