Interrater Reliability and Precision of a Novel Hand Strength Assessment and Treatment Device: The GripAble.
Halil Ibrahim Ergen, Roman Kudin, Corey W McGee
PMID 39074241WHAT IT FOUND
The GripAble device measures grip strength reliably in healthy hands.
Averaging three trials reduces measurement error compared to one or two. A 2.6 kg change is needed to be confident a patient's strength has truly improved or declined.
Key findings
01Averaging three trials yields the highest precision, with a minimal detectable change of 2.6 kg for the dominant hand and 2.3 kg for the nondominant hand.
02The device shows excellent interrater reliability (ICC > .75) when used by clinicians with varying levels of experience.
03Findings apply only to healthy adults; the device's performance in patients with hand pathology or via self-administration is unknown.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample consisted only of healthy adults; results cannot be generalized to patients with hand or upper extremity pathology. The study did not test the device's self-administration mode, so reliability for telerehabilitation is unknown. The sample was underrepresented for Hispanic ethnicity (0% vs. 8.7% of the local area). GripAble dimensions differ from Jamar, meaning its readings are not directly comparable to existing normative data.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume GripAble measurements are comparable to Jamar dynamometer scores. GripAble readings are approximately 69% of Jamar values, so using Jamar norms to interpret GripAble results will incorrectly classify patients as impaired.