Scaling of the revised Oswestry low back pain questionnaire

Page SJ, Shawaryn MA, Cernich AN, Linacre JM. Scaling of the revised Oswestry low back pain questionnaire. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:1579-84. Objective: To evaluate the measurement properties of the Revised Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (RODQ) by using rating scale analyses. Design: Calibration of item responses by using a data set. Setting: Four outpatient therapy clinics in the northeastern United States. Patients: Convenience sample of 95 community-dwelling adults exhibiting mild to severe low back pain-related disability (LBP-D). Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure: The RODQ. Results: Several Rasch analyses were performed, with 1 item deleted and 2 response categories collapsed, creating a better test without increased error. A schema for item administration and evaluation was also developed. Conclusions: By using the abbreviated scale, suggested item order, and predicted responses, abbreviated versions of the instrument can be applied to measure LBP-D more efficiently. © 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation