The reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Upper Limb Functional Index.
Tae-Sung In, Jin-Hwa Jung, Keun-Jo Kim and 3 others
PMID 28626325WHAT IT FOUND
In 49 outpatients with chronic upper limb problems, the Korean ULFI gave stable scores over 3 days and agreed with Korean DASH.
It is usable for measuring current limitation, but not yet tested for treatment change.
Key findings
01When patients completed the Korean ULFI twice 3 days apart, scores were stable, with ICC 0.90 and the reported interval 0.85 to 0.95.
02The Korean ULFI correlated significantly with the Korean DASH, r=0.72 (p<0.05).
03Internal consistency was reported as high, with α 0.94 in the results table and α 0.91 in the discussion text.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and came from one orthopedic clinic, so the results may not apply to other upper limb patient groups. Only patients with long-standing symptoms were included, so it says little about recent injuries or more acute presentations. Responsiveness was not assessed, so the paper does not show whether ULFI scores change after treatment. The reported internal consistency differs between the results table and the discussion text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that the Korean ULFI can detect treatment change. The study did not assess responsiveness, and the authors say the small sample and missing responsiveness limit generalization.