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Abstract

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome is a prevalent condition resulting from compression of the median nerve as it passes through the wrist, causing hand discomfort, numbness, and tingling. Affecting around 5% of the general population, this is the most common peripheral nerve entrapment, with work-related prevalence varying from 1 to 61% depending on the occupation. Objective: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire among patients with carpal tunnel syndrome using a telehealth approach. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted over four months and included 84 diagnosed patients of carpal tunnel syndrome recruited from Madina Teaching Hospital, Allied Hospital, and DHQ Hospital in Faisalabad. After obtaining informed consent, data collection was carried out in two separate online sessions. The first session was conducted by Researcher 1, and the second by Researcher 2, during which participants completed the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire. Both researchers were blinded to each other’s results. Researcher 2 later assessed the data to evaluate the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Descriptive analysis included frequency and mean, and standard deviation. Pearson correlation measured inter-rater and intra-rater reliability and criterion validity, while internal consistency was assessed using the Cronbach alpha test. Results: The Symptom Severity Scale of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.99, indicating strong validity. The inter-rater reliability of Researcher 2, when administering the SSS at two different locations using the same tool, was 0.99, reflecting excellent reliability. A high degree of agreement was also observed between the assessments conducted by Researcher 1 and Researcher 2 using the SSS. Similarly, the Functional Status Scale showed high internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.98. Its inter-rater reliability, assessed by Researcher 2 at two locations, was 0.97, also indicating excellent reliability. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire has excellent validity and reliability when used in a telehealth setting. Both intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire were found to be exceptionally high.