Condition-specific outcome measures for low back pain. Part II: scale construction

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Outcomes Research
• Musculoskeletal Disorders

Background:

• Low back pain is a prevalent condition requiring effective assessment tools.
• Numerous self-administered questionnaires exist for evaluating low back pain.
• Part I of this review analyzed technical aspects of nine widely used questionnaires.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate the content and wording of questions and answers in nine leading low back pain questionnaires.
• To analyze scoring methods and identify potential score bias.
• To provide recommendations for improving the construct validity of these tools in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on condition-specific, self-administered low back pain assessment tools.
• Analysis of questionnaire content, question/answer wording, and scoring methodologies.
• Evaluation of score bias and construct validity in practical application.

Main Results:

• Significant variation exists in the content and wording of questions across the nine reviewed questionnaires.
• Different scoring methods can lead to variability in results and potential score bias.
• The analysis identified areas for improvement in questionnaire design and interpretation.

Conclusions:

• The content and scoring of low back pain questionnaires significantly impact their construct validity.
• Careful consideration of question wording and scoring is essential for accurate patient assessment.
• Recommendations are provided to enhance the clinical utility and validity of these widely used tools.