Cervical spine outcomes questionnaire: its development and psychometric properties

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• Existing generic and disease-specific instruments for neck pain assessment have limitations.
• A comprehensive tool is needed to evaluate treatment outcomes for cervical spine conditions.
• Current methods may not fully capture the range of factors crucial for outcome evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and psychometrically evaluate a disease-specific questionnaire for neck pain.
• To assess the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Cervical Spine Outcomes Questionnaire.
• To provide a comprehensive tool for characterizing neck pain and treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Cervical Spine Outcomes Questionnaire.
• Cross-sectional study involving 216 patients undergoing cervical spine surgery.
• Administration of the questionnaire pre-treatment and at 3 and 6 months post-treatment.

Main Results:

• The Cervical Spine Outcomes Questionnaire demonstrated high test-retest reliability.
• Good construct validity was established for the questionnaire.
• The instrument proved responsive to changes following treatment.

Conclusions:

• The Cervical Spine Outcomes Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for neck pain.
• It comprehensively assesses demographics, pain, function, psychological distress, and satisfaction.
• Recommended for monitoring patients and evaluating treatments for cervical spine disorders.