Reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire for patients with musculoskeletal disorder.
Kyoung-Sim Jung, Jin-Hwa Jung, Tae-Sung In and 1 others
PMID 27799696WHAT IT FOUND
The Korean Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment gives consistent scores when patients repeat it after one week and aligns with the SF-36.
It is a reliable self-report tool for tracking disability in Korean patients with limb musculoskeletal disorders.
Key findings
01The Korean version showed high test-retest reliability over seven days for both the dysfunction and bother indices.
02Scores on the SMFA correlated significantly with all eight dimensions of the SF-36, with the strongest links to physical function and bodily pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study did not test whether the SMFA can detect changes in a patient's condition over time, so it is unclear if it is sensitive enough to track progress or regression. Most participants had lower limb injuries, which may mean the tool is less accurate for patients with upper limb problems. The sample was small and drawn from a single orthopedic clinic, which may limit how well the results apply to other groups.
Declared interests
The text does not report any funding sources or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this tool can reliably measure whether a patient is getting better or worse. The study checked if scores were consistent when the patient’s condition likely had not changed, but it did not test if the SMFA is sensitive enough to detect actual treatment effects over time.