Danish short form Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire: Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and evaluation of measurement properties

BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability and an increasing sick leave in Denmark. Psychosocial risk factors have been linked to the development of LBP-related disability and work-absenteeism. The short form Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ-sf) was developed to screen for psychosocial risk factors and assess the risk of long-term disability and work-absenteeism.

OBJECTIVE: To translate and cross-culturally adapt ÖMPSQ-sf into Danish and evaluate test-retest reliability with relative and absolute reliability and internal consistency in LBP-patients in a secondary setting.

METHODS: A six-step translation and cross-culturally adaptation process was used. Forty-four patients with subacute and chronic LBP were recruited at an outpatient clinic.

RESULTS: Test-retest reliability (n= 37) was found to be excellent (ICC2.1= 0.92), Internal Consistency (n= 44) was adequate (Cronbach's alpha = 0.72). Absolute reliability included Standard Error of Measurement (SEM = 3.97 points), 95% Limits of Agreement (95% LOA = 0.08, -15.90-15.74), and Smallest Detectable Change (SDC = 10.87 points).

CONCLUSION: The Danish ÖMPSQ-sf showed acceptable measurements properties in subacute and chronic LBP-patients. Further research is needed to assess other measurement properties of the ÖMPSQ-sf, in relation to validity, responsiveness, and the predictive ability before application in research or clinical practice.