2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Outcome Measure. We’re celebrating with DASHBash – a series of events taking place throughout the year to mark the achievements of this “little tool that grew.”
In 1996, when the DASH was developed by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, no measure had previously existed to assess the disability and function of the arm, shoulder and hand as a whole. Today, this outcome measure is used across the world, and is available in 55 languages and dialects. It has also been cited in about 1,500 journal articles.
The DASHBash year kicked off with a seminar on February 23 at IWH’s offices in Toronto. It included a presentation by occupational therapist Dorcas Beaton, a senior scientist at IWH and one of the researchers behind the development of the tool. To listen to a slidecast of this celebratory seminar, visit the plenary page on the IWH website.
As part of our 20th anniversary celebration, we asked users to tell us how the DASH has made a difference in their research or clinical practice. Here's what users from across the globe have told us. We're always interested in hearing more stories like these. If you would like to send us stories of how the DASH Outcome Measure has made a difference to your practice, we would love to hear from you.
Other events follow throughout the year. These include:
- recognizing the DASH Outcome Measures’ new trademark;
- hosting a DASH display at PREMUS 2016, the 9th International Scientific Conference on the Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, taking place June 20-23 in Toronto;
- releasing a video about the impact of the tool on clinical practice and research;
- introducing our new-and-improved DASH website (www.dash.iwh.on.ca);
- publishing a special edition of the DASH e-Bulletin;
- publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals and giving talks at professional conferences about the history, use and impact of the DASH; and
- launching a database of DASH articles.
If you want to keep up on these and other DASHBash events as they occur throughout the year, please e-mail dash@iwh.on.ca and we’ll make sure you’re notified.