Minimal clinically important difference of the Trapeziometacarpal Arthrosis Symptoms and Disability questionnaire.

Abstract

The Trapeziometacarpal Arthrosis Symptoms and Disability questionnaire is a recently developed disease-specific instrument designed to measure patient-reported symptoms. Our aim was to establish a minimal clinically important difference for this questionnaire. This prospective study included 95 patients undergoing operative (n = 39) or non-operative (n = 56) treatments for primary trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis. Patients completed a battery of tests including the Trapeziometacarpal Arthrosis Symptoms and Disability questionnaire at the initial clinic visit and follow-up visits. Two anchor-based methods were used to arrive at the minimal clinically important difference. Twenty-four scores met criteria for minimal clinically important change, with a median overall score rounding to 15 points. This finding is an important step in facilitating the application of this disease-specific instrument in practice.Level of evidenceIII