The Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool Translated Into Italian Is a Reliable, Precise, and Responsive Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Arthroscopic Meniscal Surgery

TL;DR

The Italian version of the WOMET is a reliable and effective tool for measuring outcomes in patients who had meniscal surgery.

Contribution

The paper validates the Italian translation of the WOMET as a reliable and responsive patient-reported outcome measure.

Findings

The Italian WOMET showed excellent test-retest reliability with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.87.

Standardized response means of 1.94 at 3 months and 2.44 at 6 months indicate strong responsiveness to clinical changes.

The Italian WOMET correlated highly (r = 0.85) with the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score 4, supporting its validity.

Abstract

To translate and culturally adapt the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET) into Italian to examine its reliability, measurement precision, and responsiveness in patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscal surgery.

Patients with magnetic resonance imaging–confirmed meniscal injuries completed the Italian WOMET at baseline and again at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The translation followed established guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation, including forward-backward translation and cognitive debriefing. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient, and measurement precision was evaluated by calculating the standard error of measurement and the minimal detectable change. Responsiveness was measured via the standardized response mean. The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score 4 questionnaire was administered for comparison.

A total of 97 patients (mean age, 38 years; age range, 22-58 years) were included. The Italian WOMET showed excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.87). The standard error of measurement was 109.68 points, and the minimal detectable change was 307 points, indicating a high level of precision for detecting true clinical changes. The standardized response means were 1.94 at 3 months and 2.44 at 6 months, indicating strong responsiveness. A high correlation (r = 0.85, P < .001) with the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score 4 supported concurrent validity.

The Italian WOMET is a reliable, precise, and highly responsive patient-reported outcome measure for assessing health-related quality of life in patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscal surgery.

Given the increasing prevalence of meniscal injuries in Italy and the need for culturally relevant diagnostic tools, the validation of the WOMET in Italian is important for patients, health care providers, and scientists.

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