Abstract

Practitioners are often in need of efficient and effective ways of assessing the needs of patients, especially when there are limitations on time, as is often the case. Less time-intensive methods of assessment are increasingly favored among clinicians because of the time demands of clinical practice (Piotrowski, 1999). Such techniques are especially useful in settings in which the time available to produce a report is short (such as medical settings or Employee Assistance Programs), or in settings in which comprehensive psychological testing is unnecessary or unavailable. Thus, brief instruments can greatly add to the clinician’s tool chest. The Hand Test is one such instrument.