Catalan Translation and Psychometric Validation of the QuickDASH

Overview

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are essential tools for assessing upper extremity disability from the patient's perspective and are increasingly incorporated into routine clinical practice and research. The Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH) is one of the most widely used PROMs in upper limb surgery worldwide. Although the questionnaire has been translated and validated into multiple languages, no officially translated and psychometrically validated Catalan version is currently available. The aim of this study is to translate, cross-culturally adapt and psychometrically validate the Catalan version of the QuickDASH according to internationally accepted recommendations for PROM translation and validation. The project consists of two sequential phases. Phase I comprises forward translation, synthesis, back-translation, expert committee review and cognitive debriefing. Phase II consists of a prospective observational psychometric validation study in Catalan-speaking adults with upper extremity disorders. The resulting instrument is expected to become the official Catalan version of the QuickDASH for use in clinical practice and research.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have become an essential component of modern healthcare by providing standardized assessment of symptoms, disability and treatment outcomes directly from the patient's perspective. Their routine use has increased considerably during the last decade owing to recommendations from international scientific societies and their incorporation into both clinical research and routine outcome assessment. The Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH) is among the most frequently used PROMs for evaluating upper extremity disability. Compared with the original 30-item DASH questionnaire, the abbreviated 11-item QuickDASH maintains excellent psychometric performance while substantially reducing respondent burden, facilitating its use in everyday clinical practice. Despite the widespread use of Catalan within the healthcare system in Catalonia, no officially translated and psychometrically validated Catalan version of the QuickDASH is currently available. Consequently, clinicians and researchers frequently rely on Spanish versions that may not fully reflect linguistic and cultural characteristics specific to Catalan-speaking populations. The primary objective of this study is to produce an officially translated, culturally adapted and psychometrically validated Catalan version of the QuickDASH following internationally accepted methodology and the recommendations established by the Institute for Work \& Health (IWH), copyright holder of the DASH and QuickDASH questionnaires. The translation process will include two independent forward translations, synthesis of both versions, two independent back-translations, multidisciplinary expert committee review and cognitive debriefing in Catalan-speaking patients. Once the final Catalan version has been established, a prospective observational validation study will evaluate its psychometric properties in approximately 100 adult patients presenting with upper extremity disorders at Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari. Psychometric evaluation will include assessment of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, measurement error, responsiveness and floor and ceiling effects according to internationally accepted standards for PROM validation studies. The availability of an officially validated Catalan QuickDASH is expected to facilitate standardized outcome assessment in Catalan-speaking populations, improve comparability between international studies and promote the incorporation of patient-reported outcomes into routine clinical practice.