The hindi version of mcgill pain questionnaire: A cross-cultural adaptation study in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Background: Pain assessment plays a major role in guiding treatment decisions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The long-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (LF-MPQ) is a valid and reliable tool for multidimensional pain assessment. However, a validated Hindi version of the LF-MPQ is not available for use in India. The objective was to develop an equivalent version of the LF-MPQ in native Hindi language that is cross-culturally adapted to suit Indian patients. Methodology: After acquiring permission from the University Ethics Board, guidelines given by the Mapi Research Trust were followed and LF-MPQ was translated to culturally appropriate Hindi version. After translation, the questionnaire was subjected to testing of clinimetric properties in fifty patients with RA. Results: The Hindi version of the LF-MPQ demonstrated high levels of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha range: 0.74-0.80) and reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient range: 0.76-0.84). The Hindi version of LF-MPQ also demonstrated moderate construct and concurrent validity when tested with Visual Analog Scale (Pearson r: 0.78) and Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (Pearson r: 0.77), respectively. Conclusion: The Hindi version of the LF-MPQ was found to be reproducible and valid for the assessment of pain in patients with RA.