A Survey to Determine the Reliability of Dynamometer and Pinch Gauge Dial Readings Among Certified Hand Therapists

Using a cross-sectional descriptive study design, surveys were mailed to 200 randomly selected certified hand therapists of the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) to determine how they document analog dynamometer and pinch gauge dial readings. Three different needle settings for the dynamometer and pinch gauge were presented in picture format. For each instrument, one needle setting was just above a gauge marker, one was just below a gauge marker, and one was set exactly between two gauge markers. A total of 126out of 200 surveys were returned for a participation rate of 63%. For the dynamometer readings, therapists estimated the exact strength reading between the two gauge markers 78.3% of the time. For the pinch gauge readings, therapists rounded to the nearest dial marker 76.5% of the time when the needle was just above or just below a dial marker and 61.9% of the time they estimated the reading when the needle was placed exactly between two dial markers.