Validation of the Indonesian version of multiple sclerosis quality of life-54 (MSQOL-54 INA) questionnaire

BACKGROUND: Quality of life assessment of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not routinely performed in Indonesia due to the unavailability of the validated Indonesian version of a specific instrument. The objective of this study was to transculturally adapt and validate the Indonesian version of the MSQOL-54 (MSQOL-54 INA) questionnaire. METHODS: The transcultural adaptation was conducted by performing a standardized forward-backward method. Psychometric analysis was performed by assessing the reliability (Cronbach α), internal validation (item internal consistency and item discriminant validity), and external validation by measuring the correlation with a clinical factor such as EDSS and other demographic factors. RESULTS: Reliability test with Cronbach α showed good internal consistency (> 0.7) at each component, except for health perception (0.665) and social function (0.433). Construct validity using computation of correlation coefficient showed internal consistency in accordance with the original MSQOL-54 standard dimension, except for energy and role limitation due to emotional problems components. External validation with EDSS showed negative correlation on almost all components, except for sexual function, but both composite scores were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: MSQOL-54 INA questionnaire has good internal reliability and is proven to be valid and well-accepted by Indonesian MS patients. Therefore, it can be used by Indonesian clinicians for more comprehensive MS management. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12955-019-1190-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.