Validity, Reproducibility, and Minimal Detectable Difference of the Functional Upper Extremity Function Test - Simplified Version - for Adults With Moderate to Severe Asthma and COPD.

Background: Upper-limbs (ULs) functional tests which are valid and reliable for individuals with chronic respiratory disease (CRD) are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the intra-rater reproducibility, validity, minimal detectable difference (MDD), and learning effect of the Upper Extremity Function Test - simplified version (UEFT_S) functional test and to characterize its performance for adults with moderate-severe asthma and COPD.

Methods: The UEFT_S was performed twice, and the number of elbow flexions in 20 s was the outcome.