A validation study comparing two self-reported upper extremity symptom surveys with clinical examinations for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Menéndez, Cammie Chaumont | Amick III, Benjamin C.^; | Jenkins, Mark | Caroom, Cyrus^; | Robertson, Michelle | Gerr, Fred | Moore, J. Steven | Harrist, Ronald B. | Katz, Jeffrey N.^;

Affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Safety Research, Analysis and Field Evaluations Branch, Morgantown, WV, USA | The University of Texas School of Public Health, Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Houston, TX, USA | The Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, ON, Canada | Rice University, Houston, TX, USA | Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA | Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA, USA | University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA | Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA | Orthopaedic and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Cammie Chaumont Menéndez, PhD, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Rd, MS-1811, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA. Tel.: +1 304 285 6233; Fax: +1 304 285 6235; E-mail: E-mail: cmenendez@cdc.gov

Abstract: Objective: Evaluate the validity of two self-report symptoms surveys with two disorder classification protocols. Participants: 100 graduate students at a private school in the Southwest United States. Methods: Study participants completed two self-report upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms surveys: a nine item 10 cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and a nine item Likert categorical scale anchored from "None" to "Very severe". Clinical examinations were administered using two musculoskeletal disorder classification protocols. Results: For the nine body regions, concordance between the two self-report symptoms scales ranged from 0.49–0.75. Overall there was greater than 80% agreement for the two disorder classification protocols. Using either symptom survey with either disorder classification protocol provided high sensitivities and specificities (Youden's J ⩾ 0.70). Three of possible six symptom survey/classification protocol pairings provided high sensitivities and specificities across all disorder groups. Conclusion: In this graduate student sample, none of the self-report symptom survey-classification protocol pairings was demonstratively more useful than any other pairing for studies of musculoskeletal disorders among computer users.

Keywords: Computing-related, graduate students, Youden's J, sensitivity, specificity

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-1401

Journal: Work, vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 293-302, 2012