Development, validity and reliability of patient perception of scoliosis-specific physiotherapy (physio-is) questionnaire.

PURPOSE: To develop a questionnaire for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients undergoing physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSE) and to evaluate its content validity, structural validity, and reliability.

METHODOLOGY: Seven PSSE treatment experts checked the content validity of the Patient's Perception of Scoliosis-Specific Physiotherapy Questionnaire (Physio-IS). For each Physio-IS item, the content validity indexes must be ≥ 90%. Regarding structural validity and reliability 52 adolescents (ages 10-17) with AIS completed the questionnaire. Structural validity was assessed through exploratory factor analysis. Reliability was verified through internal consistency.

RESULTS

Physio-IS content was validated in three evaluation rounds, obtaining 100% expert agreement. About structural validity we identified four domains (cumulative explained variance = 68.2%): (1) specific knowledge (seven questions on understanding their scoliosis condition); (2) social repercussion (five questions about social relationship implications); (3) pain (two questions about scoliosis-associated pain); and (4) associated concern (apprehension/expectations regarding the future). The Physio-IS demonstrated very good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.76-0.92).

CONCLUSION

The Physio-IS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing AIS patients undergoing PSSE and helping physiotherapists identify aspects requiring more attention, thus facilitating intervention strategies, as knowing the patient's perception of their condition or treatment is fundamental to AIS treatment success.