Turkish Neurosurgery 2019 , Vol 29 , Num 5
Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire and Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire-Short Form: Translation, Reliability, and Validation Study of the Turkish Version
Ozan Volkan YURDAKUL1,Aylin REZVANI2,Okan KUCUKAKKAS1,Sena TOLU2,Mehmet Serkan KILICOGLU1,Teoman AYDIN1
1Bezmialem Vakıf University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Istanbul, Turkey
2Medipol University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Istanbul, Turkey
DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.25466-18.1 AIM: To perform reliability and validity studies of the Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) and NPQ-Short Form (SF) in the Turkish language.

MATERIAL and METHODS: The Turkish translation and cross-cultural validation were performed. Then, 101 patients (36 males, 65 females; mean age: 50.4 ± 14.49; range: 20–87) with chronic pain were asked to fill out a pack of questionnaires, including the NPQ, NPQ-SF, Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4), Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms (LANSS), and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). A subgroup of 41 patients (11 males, 30 females) completed the NPQ and NPQ-SF for the second time after 3 days by telephone. Internal consistency was tested by Cronbach’s-α and test–retest reliability was assessed by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Construct validity was assessed by comparing NPQ, NPQ-SF, and NRS. Concurrent validity was tested by comparing NPQ, NPQ-SF, DN4, and LANSS.

RESULTS: Internal consistency by Cronbach’s-α was 0.84 and 0.67 for the NPQ and NPQ-SF, respectively, indicating adequate and low internal consistency, respectively. ICC was 0.96 (p<0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95–0.97) for NPQ and 0.97 (p<0.001; 95% CI, 0.95–0.97) for NPQ-SF, indicating a high test–retest reliability for both questionnaires.

CONCLUSION: The Turkish versions of NPQ and NPQ-SF were reliable and valid for patients with chronic pain. To our knowledge, this is the first Turkish adaptation and test of the reliability and validity of the NPQ and NPQ-SF (short-form). These questionnaires could potentially help clinicians who seek to assess neuropathic pain for clinical and investigational purposes. Keywords : Neuropathic pain questionnaire, Cross-cultural adaptation, NPQ, Reliability, Validity

Corresponding author : Ozan Volkan YURDAKUL, yurdakul_ozan@yahoo.com