Purpose: To investigate the psychometric properties (reliability, validity and responsiveness) of the DASH-Arabic in a cohort of Arabic patients presenting with various upper extremity conditions. Methods: Participants were 139 patients with various upper extremity conditions, who completed the DASH-Arabic at the baseline, 2–5 days later and 30–36 days later. Participants completed demographic data forms, the SF-36 and VAS at baseline, and a Global Rating of Change scale at first and second follow-ups. Results: Cronbach’s alpha of the DASH-Arabic was 0.94. Test–retest reliability was excellent with an ICC of 0.97. The SEM was 3.50 and the MDC₉₅ was 9.28. Construct validity of the DASH-Arabic with the SF-36 subscales and VAS scores ranged from r −0.32 to −0.57, all statistically significant (p < 0.001). The effect size (ES) for the DASH-Arabic was 1.39 and its standard response mean was 1.51. The area under the curve was 0.82 (95% CI = 0.72–0.92, p < 0.001). The optimally efficient cutoff for an improvement was found to be a difference of 15 DASH points. Conclusions: The DASH-Arabic is a reliable, valid and responsive upper extremity outcome measure for patients whose primary language is Arabic; it can be used to document patient status and outcomes and support evidence-based practice.

This exploratory study was aimed at evaluating the current status of global occupational therapy practice on the use of assessments for clients with cognitive impairments and providing recommendations for ongoing evidence. We targeted international occupational therapy clinicians working with clients experiencing neurocognitive impairments. 323 occupational therapists from a wide range of clinical practice areas participated in the study. A large number of therapists used noncognitive specific assessments with a focus on functional approaches. The most commonly used standardized assessments were the COPM (56.7%), followed by MMSE (54.2%) and MoCA (45.5%), while the nonstandardized assessments were clinical observation (38.4%) and generic ADL assessment (34.1%). The use of main assessments was significantly different across world regions (p<0.05), as were the reasons for choosing them (p<0.05). The occupational therapists’ use of assessment tools with clients suffering from neurocognitive impairments is inconsistent across the globe. The identification of international best practices for selecting and implementing proper outcome measures is warranted. It is essential to promote the development of an occupational therapy initiative to support the use of appropriate assessments at the international levels to facilitate consistent best practice.

Objectives: In Kuwait, knowledge and attitudes of the health care teams toward occupational therapy practice (OTP) have not been investigated. This current study sought to explore the knowledge about and attitudes of interdisciplinary team members toward OTP. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved developing and validating a tool to serve the purpose of the study. We used a modified Delphi method to develop a tool that assessed occupational therapy (OT) knowledge (OT areas of practice, domains, and philosophy) as well as attitudes toward OTP. Descriptive statistics were utilized, and nonparametric tests were used to compare knowledge and attitudes along with the demographic data. Results: A convenience sample of 98 participants from various disciplines participated in this study. The tool was found to have an adequate content validity for a total of 27 items and satisfactory reliability (internal consistency); Cronbach’s α-values for the knowledge and attitudes subscales were 0.88 and 0.74, respectively. The overall knowledge level of OTP among the participants was limited, whereas their attitudes were favorable. Characteristics of being a female (p = 0.01), a nurse (p = 0.02), and working experiences ≥10 years (p = 0.01) contributed significantly to the knowledge of OTP. The results further indicated that participants working in general hospitals (p = 0.02) and working with occupational therapists (p < 0.001) showed significantly better attitudes toward OTP. Conclusion: For effective collaborative practice and better patients’ outcomes, the study findings recommend the development of interprofessional initiative committees targeting educational settings as well as clinical environments.

Background: The Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) is a self-administered upper extremity outcome measure questionnaire that has been demonstrated to have sound psychometric properties and wide popularity. It has been cross-culturally adapted and translated into numerous other languages. Objectives: This study aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the DASH into Arabic and pilot test the Arabic version. Method: The cross-culturally adapted DASH translated into Arabic was self-administered by 40 Arabic clients with a range of upper extremity conditions. Each client was interviewed face-to-face to assess the relevance of instructions/items to the Arabic language and culture. Face and content validity as well as internal consistency were assessed. Pilot testing of the DASH-Arabic was then performed with 20 Arabic clients with different upper extremity conditions. Results: Clarity and understanding of the written language, language barriers, cultural considerations and construction of items were successfully addressed. The cross-culturally adapted DASH showed adequate face and content validity as well as a high internal consistency reliability coefficient (Cronbach's alpha = 0.96). Pilot testing of the DASH-Arabic showed that items were easily understood without any difficulty in wordings reported. Conclusion: Further assessments of psychometric properties of the DASH-Arabic are recommended. Implications for hand therapy practice and research were presented.

Objectives: The objectives of the current study are twofold. First, it aimed to explore the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms (i.e., psychological disorders) among Kuwait University students. Second, it sought to identify and quantify the associated risk factors as well as the students’ coping strategies utilized to address these psychological disorders. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study at Kuwait University and selected students using a multistage stratified cluster sampling design among the 15 faculties of Kuwait University. To serve the study purposes, two cross-cultural and validated instruments were used, including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) and the Brief-COPE scale. Descriptive statistics, as well as logistic regression analysis, were used to analyze the study findings. Results: A sample of 1142 students from various faculties participated in this study. We found that 681 (59.6%), 791 (69.3%) and 588 (51.5%) of the participants had depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, respectively. The highest coping strategies for stressors and challenges faced were moderate and high emotion-based coping strategies (n = 1063, 93.1%). Students from the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences as well as students from the Faculty of Engineering had significantly higher stress levels compared with students from other faculties (p < 0.05). Our results demonstrated that family problems were consistently a significant predictor of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among Kuwait University students (p < 0.05). We further found that students who presented with stress and anxiety symptoms and those who practiced avoidant-focused coping strategies were substantially more likely to experience depression (ORs ≥ 2.7, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings inferred that the majority of Kuwait University students have a remarkably high prevalence of mental health problems, mainly anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms along with inconsistent coping strategies toward the faced challenges during their studies. Therefore, the most important recommendation of the current study is the establishment of counselling centers in all faculties at Kuwait University. In turn, doing so facilitates the integration of wellness programs and the provision of comprehensive educational seminars, specialized training sessions and self-management techniques for Kuwait University students, leading to desired academic outcomes.