French translation and transcultural adaptation of the shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI)

Background

A French version of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) is currently unavailable for clinical and research use in French-speaking countries.

Objectives

To translate and transculturally adapt the Shoulder Pain And Disability Index (SPADI) from English to French language.

Design

Translation and transcultural adaptation of a Patient-Reported Outcome Measure.

Methods

Following international guidelines for translating and adapting PROMs, we carried out a seven-step process involving 15 contributors. The forward translation was performed by five independent native French speakers, while five independent native English speakers conducted the blinded back-translation. A bilingual expert committee synthesized the translations, and three healthcare professionals participated in the pre-test phase. Ten patients were involved in pre-testing to evaluate the pre-final version.

Results

A final French version of the SPADI was achieved after making seven adjustments across the 18 items, instructions, and examples on the Likert scale. Changes were implemented only if at least 20% of the pre-test participants suggested modifications to enhance readability or coherence. Face validity was assessed by the expert committee.

Conclusion

The French version of the SPADI is now available, enabling condition-specific self-assessment and quantitative follow-up of shoulder pain and function in both clinical practice and research. Although psychometric properties of this version are yet to be assessed, future studies are expected to confirm the preservation of the original tool's validity and reliability.