Wheelchair skills test questionnaire for manual and powered wheelchair users: arabic translation, adaptation, and validation

Background According to the World Health Organization, over 80 million people require wheelchairs for mobility. While these devices are crucial for independence, a lack of training often leads to a deficit in wheelchair-related skills. Standardized assessments like the Wheelchair Skills Test Questionnaire (WST-Q) are vital for establishing baselines, yet no validated Arabic tool previously existed. Objective The purpose of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the WST-Q Version 5.0 for manual (WST-Q-M) and power (WST-Q-P) wheelchairs into Arabic and examine their reliability and validity among Arab adult wheelchair users. Methods The study followed a rigorous five-stage process: forward translation, synthesis, backward translation, expert committee review, and field testing. The final Arabic versions were administered to wheelchair users across three rehabilitation hospitals. Reliability was assessed via Cronbach's alpha and test-retest Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), while concurrent validity was measured against the Arabic FEW and WheelCon scales. Results The study included 48 participants with an average age of 36.5 years and 7.1 years of wheelchair experience. The sample consisted of 28 males (58%) and 20 females (42%), comprising 26 manual wheelchair users (55%) and 22 power wheelchair users (45%) with diverse medical conditions. Both versions demonstrated excellent internal consistency [manual version: α = 0.91, 95% CI [0.86–0.94]; power version: α = 0.93, 95% CI [0.89–0.96]]. Test-retest reliability was exceptionally strong, with ICCs ranging from 0.963 to 0.976 across all measured domains. Significant correlations ( p < 0.01) with FEW and WheelCon scales confirmed strong concurrent validity. Conclusions The Arabic WST-Q-M and WST-Q-P are highly reliable and valid tools for clinical and research use. They fill a significant gap, providing Arabic healthcare professionals with a standardized method to guide interventions, prescribe wheelchairs, and track longitudinal progress.