1 Before you use it
What it is
The upper limb counterpart to the LEFS, from the same design family as the PSFS. Twenty everyday activities rated for difficulty. A 15-item version also exists.
Its practical advantage over QuickDASH: no registration, no licence.
When to reach for it
As the green, no-paperwork alternative to QuickDASH for any upper limb presentation, and wherever you want a function-positive score.
Patterns it serves · 23
2 Giving it
Scoring
Twenty items, 0–4 each, 0–80. Higher is better — the opposite direction to DASH and QuickDASH, which is the classic recording error when a site uses both.
What it doesn’t measure
Region-specific detail, pain intensity, instability.
Repeat it
3 Reading the score
Interpreting it
Interpret against baseline.
Is the change real?
On placement
Rotator cuff-related shoulder pain, 6 weeks. UEFI (20-item) 46 at intake, 58 today.
Read it as 12 points up — higher is better, the reverse of DASH — over the 9.4-point MDC for the 20-item version (8.8 for the 15-item; measured in upper limb disorders). Real. The library carries no MCID.
Do a site that runs UEFI and QuickDASH side by side records one of them backwards sooner or later. Write the direction in the notes and read the items the patient still scores low.
Student trap. Recording it in the DASH direction. UEFI goes up as they improve; DASH goes down.
Official source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. We don't host the form.
This is a learning tool. It does not diagnose patients and does not replace your clinical educator.
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