Evaluation of the validity and reliability of the persian version of the rotator cuff quality of life (RC-QOL) questionnaire in patients with rotator cuff injuries: a brief report

The objective of this study was the transcultural adaptation of the Rotator cuff quality of life (RC-QOL) questionnaire and the determination of the reliability and validity of the questionnaire in the Persian-speaking population with rotator cuff disease.

This study was conducted in Isfahan from April 2022 to February 2023. The participants consisted of 56 people with rotator cuff pathology. The process of adapting and translating the questionnaire was done with the methodology presented previously by Beaton et al. Content validity was first tested by a group of orthopedic and physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists and then through a pilot study consisting of 15 Persian-speaking patients with rotator cuff disease. Test-retest reliability was established with an intraclass correlation coefficient. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha. The measurement's error estimation was calculated with the standard error of the measurement. Reproducibility evaluation was measured with a 3-day interval between the completion of the test-retest questionnaire.

The age range of the participants was 34 to 68 years (55% men and 45% women). The mean (standard deviation) of the total score of the RC-QOL questionnaire was 44.33(10.81) and ranged from 17.35 to 70.88. Cronbach's alpha was 0.971, which showed high internal consistency. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.99, indicating high test-retest reliability. The mean values (standard deviations) of the DASH and SPADI questionnaires were equal to 77.66(13.69) and 66.66(18.25), respectively. The results of the study showed excellent and significant convergent validity of the RC-QOL questionnaire with both the DASH and SPADI questionnaires. The correlation value with the DASH and SPADI questionnaires was equal to 0.907 and 0.941, respectively.

The Persian version of the RC-QOL questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate the quality of life in patients diagnosed with rotator cuff injuries.