French-Canadian translation of the Revised American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire

The Revised American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire (APS-POQ-R) is a widely used validated tool for evaluating the effectiveness of acute pain management. We aimed to translate the APS-POQ-R and assess its internal consistency in a French-Canadian postoperative surgical population.

We used a forward-backward translation method to develop a French-Canadian version of the APS-POQ-R. The final version was reviewed by patient partners for clarity and clinical relevance. The translated questionnaire was administered to patients who underwent elective orthopedic or colorectal surgery at the Jewish General Hospital University Health Centre between April and July 2024. Internal consistency of each subscale was assessed using Cronbach's alpha with acceptable levels defined as alpha ≥ 0.7.

The APS-POQ-R was completed by 119 participants, with 49 completing the French-Canadian version and 70 the English version. The overall Cronbach's alpha for the French-Canadian version was 0.77 (95% confidence interval, 0.66 to 0.85), indicating good internal consistency and comparable reliability to the English version (alpha = 0.83). Subscale internal consistency varied, with the pain severity and sleep interference (alpha = 0.84) subscale showing the highest consistency, while the adverse effects (alpha = 0.59) and perceptions of care (alpha = 0.53) subscales were lower.

The French-Canadian version of the APS-POQ-R shows potential for use in Francophone populations pending further validation. Its use may support patient-centred care and quality improvement initiatives in perioperative pain management.