Italian translation and reliability of Fist-Sci scale for chronic paraplegic patients: first validation study

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Lack of trunk control following spinal cord injury implicates a worse quality of life and a higher dependence on caregivers. Physiotherapists, so, need reliable assessments to plan rehabilitation activities; literature proposes several evaluation scales to assess unsupported trunk control in this chronic condition, but studies show poor methodological quality. This study aimed to translate and explore the significance of the Italian version of the “Function in sitting test - spinal cord injury” scale for chronic spinal cord injury patients. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted at Fiorenzuola D’Arda Hospital. After a forward/backward translation of the “Function in sitting test - spinal cord injury” scale in Italian, content and face translational validity, inter-rater reliability was assessed. Patients were recruited by historical tracking of patients who received acute rehabilitation care at Villanova d’Arda Spinal Unit; we considered eligible to the study patients more than twenty years old, with diagnosis of chronic paraplegia, resident in Piacenza province and with Italian language comprehension. Two researchers administered the Function in sitting test - spinal cord injury scale to the same patients at follow-up. RESULTS: Ten patients took part in the study; results showed that higher inter-rater correlation coefficient (Pearson’s R= 0.89, p= 0.01 Intra-class correlation coefficient= 0.94, p=0.000). Content validity was also excellent (Scale Content Validity Index = 0.91); some experts gave suggestion to better use and improve tool practice, with particular reference to movement quality evaluation. CONCLUSION: Italian “Function in sitting test - spinal cord injury” scale for assessing trunk control in chronic spinal patients appears to be an excellent assessment tool concerning inter-rater reliability. Content validity further confirms the validity of the instrument. (www.actabiomedica.it)