Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Van Lieshout test in an Italian population with cervical spinal cord injury: a psychometric study

This study focuses on adapting and validating a test called the Van Lieshout test (VLT) for use in Italy with people who have cervical spinal cord injuries (C-SCI). The VLT assesses hand function, which is often affected by C-SCI. The researchers translated the VLT into Italian, ensured it was culturally appropriate, and then tested its reliability and validity. Reliability means the test gives consistent results, and validity means it measures what it's supposed to measure. The results showed that the Italian version of the VLT (IT-VLT) is a reliable and valid tool for assessing hand function in Italian-speaking individuals with C-SCI. This provides clinicians with a useful way to measure hand function and track progress during rehabilitation.

• 1
  The Italian version of the VLT (IT-VLT) demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with Cronbach's α values of 0.95 for the left hand and 0.94 for the right hand.
• 2
  The test-retest reliability of the IT-VLT was high, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of 0.89, 0.81, and 0.87 for the right hand, left hand, and total value, respectively.
• 3
  The IT-VLT showed significant positive correlations with the Italian version of the Spinal Cord Injury Measure version III (SCIM III), indicating good convergent validity.