1. SPLINT compared to NO ACTIVE TREATMENT for carpal tunnel syndrome ‐ outcomes that are not presented in the summary of findings table.
| SPLINT compared to NO ACTIVE TREATMENT for carpal tunnel syndrome ‐ outcomes that are not presented in the summary of findings table | ||||||
| Patient or population: carpal tunnel syndrome Setting: outpatient clinics in Italy, Thailand and Turkey; hospital clinic in Australia; education and research hospital in Turkey Intervention: SPLINT Comparison: NO ACTIVE TREATMENT | ||||||
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | № of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Risk with NO ACTIVE TREATMENT | Risk with SPLINT | |||||
| Functional status (Boston CTS questionnaire) ‐ short‐term improvement: < 3 months. Scale: 1 to 5, higher is worse | The mean function was 1.97 points | MD 0.24 points better (0.44 better to 0.03 better) | ‐ | 306 (6 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ Moderatea | Splint probably does not improve hand function in the short term. Absolute difference 6% better (11% better to 0.75% better) with splint |
| Overall improvement ‐ long‐term improvement: > 3 months | No studies reported this outcome | ‐ | (0 RCTs) | ‐ | Not estimable. We are uncertain about the effect. | |
| Health‐related quality of life ‐ short‐term improvement: < 3 months | No studies reported this outcome | ‐ | (0 RCTs) | ‐ | Not estimable. We are uncertain about the effect. | |
| *The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: confidence interval; MD: mean difference; RCT: randomised controlled trial; RR: risk ratio; CTS: carpal tunnel syndrome | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High certainty: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect Moderate certainty: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate: The true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different Low certainty: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: The true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect Very low certainty: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate: The true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect | ||||||
aDowngraded for high risk of bias in the included studies (lack of blinding)