Overview

The Brief MHQ (bMHQ) contains 12 items with responses on a 1 through 5 Likert scale regarding several aspects of hand function. It is designed for clinical, rather than research, use.  The 12 items are totaled and then normalized to yield a summary score on a scale of 0-100. Higher scores indicate better overall functioning and satisfaction. Respondents must answer every question in order to calculate the brief MHQ summary score. The bMHQ does not distinguish between hands. The bilateral bMHQ does distinguish between hands. Scoring is the same for both surveys. The bMHQ will provide 1 summary score; the bilateral bMHQ will provide 2 scores that cannot be combined. 

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Reverse Coding

Higher scores indicate better functioning. Therefore, the following items must be reversed before totaling to create the summary score: 
1. Overall, how well did your hand(s) work during the past week?
2. How was the sensation (feeling) in your hand(s) during the past week?
3. How difficult was it for you to hold a frying pan during the last week? 
4. How difficult was it for you to button a shirt or blouse during the past week? 
8. Describe the pain in your hand(s)/wrist(s) in the past week?
9. I am satisfied with the look of my hand(s). 
11. In the past week, how satisfied are you with the motion of your fingers? 
12.  In the past week, how satisfied are you with the motion of your wrist?
 
For these items, the responses must be reversed in the following way: 
1=5, 2=4, 4=2, 5=1
 
Scoring

Raw score range: 
  Minimum score (poorest functioning) = 1
  Maximum score (ideal functioning) = 5
           

The 12 raw scores (in the bilateral survey items 5, 6, and 7 are included in both the right hand and left hand total) are then added to give a maximum score of 60 and a minimum score of 12.

 

To translate the raw score into a 0-100 range the score must be normalized. The raw score is averaged across the number of items (range 1-5). After averaging the items, the average score is then normalized to generate a score that is scaled from 0 (poorest function) to 100 (ideal function). 
 
Normalization = 100 x (brief MHQ raw score – 1)/4

 

For example:

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A raw score of 60 yields an averaged score of 5.

(5-1)/4 x 100 = 100

 

A raw score of 36 yields an averaged score of 3.

(3-1)/4 x 100 = 50