Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Aug;32(4):497-504.
doi: 10.1007/s00264-007-0344-7. Epub 2007 Mar 17.

Critical analysis of outcome measures used in the assessment of carpal tunnel syndrome

Senthil Nathan Sambandam  1 , P Priyanka, Arif Gul, Balakrishnan Ilango
Affiliations

Critical analysis of outcome measures used in the assessment of carpal tunnel syndrome

Senthil Nathan Sambandam et al. Int Orthop. 2008 Aug.

Abstract
in English, French

Clinicians and researchers are confounded by the various outcome measures used for the assessment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). In this study, we critically analysed the conceptual framework, validity, reliability, responsiveness and appropriateness of some of the commonly used CTS outcome measures. Initially, we conducted an extensive literature search to identify all of the outcome measures used in the assessment of CTS patients, which revealed six different carpal tunnel outcome measures [Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ), Michigan Hand Outcome Questionnaire (MHQ), Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH), Patient Evaluation Measure (PEM), clinical rating scale (Historical-Objective (Hi-Ob) scale) and Upper Extremity Functional Scale (UEFS)]. We analysed the construction framework, development process, validation process, reliability, internal consistency (IC), responsiveness and limitations of each of these outcome measures. Our analysis reveals that BCTQ, MHQ and PEM have comprehensive frameworks, good validity, reliability and responsiveness both in the hands of the developers, as well as independent researchers. The UEFS and Hi-Ob scale need validation and reliability testing by independent researchers. Region-specific measures like DASH have good frameworks and, hence, a potential role in the assessment of CTS but they require more validation in exclusive carpal tunnel patients.

Les cliniciens et les chercheurs sont submergés par le nombre de mesures utilisées pour l’évaluation du syndrome du canal carpien (CTS). Nous avons réalisé pour cette étude une étude critique de ces différentes mesures au travers de la littérature. Six différentes mesures sont utilisées : le questionnaire de Boston (BCTQ), le questionnaire de Michigan (MHQ), le score DASH, l’évaluation PEM, le questionnaire Hi-Ob scale et la mesure UEFS. Nous avons étudié sur tous les plans ces différents scores. Les mesures de type BCTQ, MHQ et PEM sont fidèles et utiles aussi bien pour les chirurgiens que pour les chercheurs. Les mesures UEFS et Hi-Ob scale nécessitent une validation par des examinateurs indépendants, la technique DASH nécessite une validation pour les patients présentant une lésion isolée du canal carpien.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1016/S0363-5023(98)80090-7', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1016/s0363-5023(98)80090-7'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '9523956', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9523956/'}]}
    2. Atroshi I, Johnsson R, Ornstein E (1998) Patient satisfaction and return to work after endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery. J Hand Surg [Am] 23(1):58–65 - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '12849936', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12849936/'}]}
    2. Bindra RR, Dias JJ, Heras-Palau C, Amadio PC, Chung KC, Burke FD (2003) Assessing outcome after hand surgery: the current state. J Hand Surg [Br] 28(4):289–294 - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1097/00000637-199906000-00006', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1097/00000637-199906000-00006'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '10382797', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10382797/'}]}
    2. Chung KC, Hamill JB, Walters MR, Hayward RA (1999) The Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ): assessment of responsiveness to clinical change. Ann Plast Surg 42(6):619–622 - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1016/S0363-5023(98)80042-7', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1016/s0363-5023(98)80042-7'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '9708370', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9708370/'}]}
    2. Chung KC, Pillsbury MS, Walters MR, Hayward RA (1998) Reliability and validity testing of the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. J Hand Surg [Am] 23(4):575–587 - PubMed
    1. None
    2. Cohen J (1988) Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences, 2nd edn. Lawrence Earlbaum, Hillsdale, New Jersey