Validation and reliability of the Malay version of the painDETECT questionnaire (PDQ-M) among patients with neuropathic and nociceptive pain

Background: Neuropathic pain is chronic and debilitating. Early and accurate diagnosis is important for appropriate management. The painDETECT questionnaire (PDQ) is an effective screening tool for presence of neuropathic pain. We tested the validity and reliability of the translated Malay version of PDQ (PDQ-M). Methods: This was a multi-center cross-sectional study conducted over 24 months. The original English version of PDQ was translated into Malay version following international guidelines. Subsequently, patients with chronic pain were administered PDQ-M and Malay version of SF36 at baseline and 2-4 weeks later. The reliability, construct and criterion validity of PDQ-M were evaluated. Clinician diagnoses were used as gold standard for comparison of diagnostic accuracy. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine correlation between PDQ-M and SF-36 scores. Results: A total of 97 patients were included in the study (53 with neuropathic pain, 44 with nociceptive pain). The EFA of PDQ-M produced three factors which explained 58.3% of the variance. It exhibited fair consistency with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.719 (for all 9 items) and 0.755 (for 7-item with Likert scale). PDQ-M is reliable with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.719 and 0.852 for test-retest reliability. A score of ≥17 was the best cut-off value for discriminating between neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain in PDQ-M (79.2% sensitivity, 50.0% specificity). Multiple regression analysis exhibited total PDQ-M score to have significant negative correlation with all components of SF-36 scores except role limitation due to physical health. Conclusions: PDQ-M is a reliable and valid self-administered screening tool for neuropathic pain.