Translation and linguistic validation of the Swedish version of Orthotics and Prosthetics Users' Survey

There is an increasing need for outcome measures in the orthotic and prosthetic field and specifically a lack of outcome measures in Swedish. The Orthotics and Prosthetics Users' Survey (OPUS) was developed in the USA for assessment of the outcome of orthotic and prosthetic interventions, and could potentially also be used for shoe insoles and orthopaedic shoes. The aims of this study were to translate OPUS into Swedish and test the translated version's linguistic validity in a Swedish context. The Orthotic and Prosthetic Users' Survey was translated into Swedish and back-translated into English, following a modified version of the World Health Organization guidelines. After revision of the Swedish version, 39 Swedish clients (12 men, 27 women) answered the OPUS questionnaires and were systematically debriefed afterwards. Most items were understood correctly by the respondents, but some words and expressions had to be changed to avoid misunderstandings or unintended interpretations. The resulting Swedish version of OPUS, OPUS-Swe, showed acceptable linguistic validity and has potential for use in both clinical practice and scientific settings. Nevertheless, before OPUS-Swe can be fully implemented, its psychometric properties need to be evaluated.