Factors influencing the diagnostic process of carpal tunnel syndrome

There are no studies regarding the course leading to carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) diagnosis and factors influencing the diagnostic process. The study aim is to analyse CTS diagnostic path assessing whether the type of physician (general practitioners or specialist) may influence the manner and timing of diagnosis, and whether CTS severity at diagnosis may be predicted by factors related to Public Health Service and/or to patient. A medical history form was filled in by 375 consecutive patients with idiopathic CTS enrolled at an electromyography service. The patient answered a self-administered questionnaire on symptom severity and the neurophysiologist quantified clinical and electrophysiological CTS severity. The patients going directly to general practitioner were older and more blue collars, had minor education level, more symptom duration, more clinical and electrophysiological severity, more medical examination numbers, more time elapsing between first visit to a doctor and referral for EMG than those going to a specialist. But all variables are interrelated and when multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed, only patient age and some other few independent variables related to patient or health care but not to referring doctor could predict CTS severity at the diagnosis. Typology of the first doctor did not influence diagnostic path. The patients should reduce the time elapsing between CTS symptom onset and consulting doctor thus, permitting early treatments. Some corrective actions on diagnostic path may concern the public health service by reducing waiting lists to perform electrodiagnostic testing and giving greater information to population at risk.