Brazilian Portuguese version of the revised upper-limb module: cross-cultural adaptation and validation

With the emergence of new therapies for spinal muscular atrophy linked to chromosome 5q (SMA-5q), capturing motor function changes in the upper limbs (ULs) become crucial for assessing treatment efficacy and monitoring changes in the disease. The translation and cultural adaptation of the revised upper-limb module (RULM) into Brazilian Portuguese will enable implementation in clinical settings and facilitate the conduction of national studies.

To translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the RULM to Brazilian Portuguese.

The study was conducted in two phases: translation and cross-cultural adaptation, and the reliability assessment. Both phases followed recommendations from international guidelines. The analysis of the psychometric properties was performed with 21 individuals with SMA-5q, all of whom were at least 30-months-old and capable of sitting independently. Statistical analyses were performed using Cohen's Kappa analysis (K) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

The interrater agreement was considered excellent for items A to T (K > 0.81) and good (0.61-0.80) for items G and M. The reliability analysis showed an ICC of 0.998, indicating an extremely satisfactory level.

The Brazilian Portuguese version of the RULM has been shown to be valid and reliable for the assessment of SMA-5q individuals older than 2 years of age who could sit.