In chronic disabling hand conditions, symptoms like pain, muscle weakness, and joint and/or muscle contractures are common impairments that negatively affect activities of daily life (ADL). Wearing a hand orthosis can improve use of the hand in performing ADL. In the last decade, the application of three-dimensional (3D) printing has been increasingly used to manufacture hand orthoses, being a promising alternative to conventional custom-manufactured hand orthoses. However, evidence on the effectiveness, costs and production time of 3D-printed orthoses in chronic hand conditions is scarce. We assessed the preliminary effectiveness of 3D-printed orthoses compared to conventionally manufactured orthoses in persons with chronic hand conditions on ADL performance (assessed with the PROMIS-UE), orthosis satisfaction (assessed with the D-CSD), and quality of life (assessed with the EQ-5D-5L). Besides, production time and costs of both orthoses were recorded. As part of this study, to measure orthosis satisfaction, we translated the English Client Satisfaction with Device (CSD) module of the Orthotics and Prosthetics Users’ Survey into Dutch (D-CSD), and assessed its content validity, structural validity and reliability in persons with chronic hand conditions. Furthermore, we assessed the reliability of the PROMIS-UE the measure ADL performance in chronic users of hand orthoses.

Date Submitted: 2023-06-26

Issued: 2023-06-19