Reliability and validity of the turkish version of the 6-item carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms scale

Abstract

The use of patient-completed, disease-specific scales is increasing in clinical research and patient follow-up. We aimed to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the Turkish version of the 6-item Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) symptoms scale for CTS. Methods: The translation and transcultural adaptation of the original scale were performed by an expert committee using the steps recommended in the guiding methods. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability methods were applied to a population of 60 patients. Content validity and face validity were assessed in a pre-patient group. Concurrent validity was examined using the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire and the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. Results: This study included 60 patients. In the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value obtained in the study showed that the sample size was sufficient (0.629) for factor analysis, and the result of Bartlett’s test was also significant. All factor loadings in this study were found to be quite high. Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.829. The correlation coefficient between the results of these two tests indicates that the Turkish version of the scale is reliable and the test results are stable (r=0.869, p<0.01). Conclusion: The Turkish version of CTS-6 was found to be reliable and valid for measuring CTS-associated symptoms. It can be used to effectively evaluate these symptoms.