Score Reliability and Construct Validity of the Flinn Performance Screening Tool for Adults With Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Abstract

We investigated the psychometric properties of the Flinn Performance Screening Tool (FPST) for people referred with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). An occupational therapist collected data from 46 participants who completed the Functional Status Scale (FSS) and FPST after the participants' nerve conduction velocity study to test convergent and contrasted-group validity. Seventy-four percent of the participants had abnormal nerve conduction studies. Cronbach's α coefficients for subscale and total scores of the FPST ranged from .96 to .98. Intrarater reliability for six shared items of the FSS and the FPST was supported by high agreement (71%) and a fair κ statistic (.36). Strong to moderate positive relationships were found between the FSS and FPST scores. Functional status differed significantly among severe, mild, and negative CTS severity groups. The FPST shows adequate psychometric properties as a client-centered screening tool for occupational performance of people referred for symptoms of CTS.