A self-administered questionnaire for basal osteoarthritis of the thumb

Basal osteoarthritis of the thumb is a common condition for which numerous operations have been proposed without any particular one having been shown to be superior. One of the problems in evaluating the results of surgery is that there is no validated outcome score specifically for the condition. The purpose of this study was to construct a self-administered questionnaire (the Nelson score) to assess the outcome following surgery for this condition and to test its properties. Correlating the questionnaire score with physical findings on clinical examination showed external validity and test-retest reliability was high. Simultaneous administration of the score with the DASH score, both before and after surgery, showed it to be more sensitive to change (P = 0.056). In addition, it is shorter than the DASH score, which may make it more acceptable to patients.