Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Slovenian version of the Core Outcome Measures Index for Low back pain

Abstract

Background: To conduct a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) in the Slovenian language, for use in patients with low back pain. Methods: The English version of COMI was translated into Slovene following established guidelines. 353 patients with chronic low back pain were recruited from the Orthopedic clinic department of a tertiary care teaching institution. Data quality, construct validity, responsiveness, and test-retest reliability of the COMI were assessed. Results: The questionnaire was generally well accepted with no missing values. The majority of items exhibited only mild floor and ceiling effects. Correlations with Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were high (ρ = 0.76 between overall COMI and ODI scores), suggesting that the Slovene version of COMI had high construct validity. Additionally, the Slovene version of COMI successfully captured surgical patients’ improvement in their low back problem (indicator of responsiveness) and showed acceptable test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.86). Conclusions: The Slovene version of COMI showed good psychometric properties, comparable to those of previously tested language versions. It represents a valuable instrument for the use in future domestic and multicenter clinical studies. Keywords Cross-cultural adaptation ‧ Validation ‧ Core outcome measures index ‧ Low back pain ‧ Slovenian