Spanish translation and cross-language validation of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder...

The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form is one of the most frequently used outcomes score for shoulder pathology. The patient report section of the ASES questionnaire (p-ASES) is easy to complete, can be quickly administered, and is applicable to a wide range of shoulder pathologies, yet a validated Spanish translation of this questionnaire does not currently exist for diverse Spanish-speaking populations. The purpose of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the patient report section of the ASES to Spanish and to assess its validity and reliability among a culturally diverse group of Spanish-speaking patients, typically seen in the United States.

The p-ASES Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form was translated into Spanish using a universal approach for translation and cultural adaptation of instruments. A total of 127 Spanish-speaking patients with shoulder pain were included in the study and asked to complete the Spanish translated p-ASES form, the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) v1.2 Physical Function SF 20a in Spanish and a demographics questionnaire. Construct validity was tested using correlational analysis between the Spanish translation of the p-ASES to the Spanish translation of the PROMIS v1.2 Physical Function Short Form 20a. Reliability was measured using both test-retest reliability and internal consistency (Cronbach α) in a subgroup of 27 patients who completed both surveys at a separate time point.

The p-ASES demonstrated desirable convergent validity with the validated Spanish version of the PROMIS v1.2 Physical Function Short Form 20a with a strong correlation (r = 0.82, P < .04) for Spanish speakers. The Spanish translation of the p-ASES proved to be a reliable tool with a high degree of internal consistency across question items (α = 0.90). The Spanish p-ASES also demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability with a strong correlation (r = 0.87, P < .001) between time 1 and time 2.

The Spanish p-ASES is both a valid and reliable tool for assessing shoulder function in Spanish-speaking patients from diverse cultural backgrounds and it demonstrates psychometric properties equivalent to those of the English-language version.