The Dutch version of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form is a reliable and valid questionnaire for shoulder problems

Background: The self-assessment section of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASESq) is one of the most used patient-reported outcome measures for general shoulder problems.This study was performed to establish a valid Dutch version of the ASESq (ASESq-NL).Materials and Methods: A clinical prospective, nonrandomized study was performed.Translation of the ASESq into Dutch was done following the guidelines of cross-cultural adaptation.Patients older than 17 years of age with shoulder problems were included.Patients who declined to participate or insufficiently completed questionnaires were excluded.For test-retest reliability analysis, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated and an interval of 7-28 days between test and retest was set.Cronbach alpha was used to determine internal consistency.Dutch validated versions of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) were completed and compared with the ASESq-NL to evaluate construct validity using a Spearman rank correlation coefficient calculation.Results: A total of 92 patients were included.Test-retest reliability was excellent with an ICC of 0.82.The mean test-retest interval was 13 days (standard deviation 4.4).Internal consistency was good, with a Cronbach alpha of 0.83.Construct validity of the ASES questionnaire was good.All domains of the ASESq-NL had significant (P < .05)correlations with the domains of the SPADI and the SF-36, except for the SF-36 domains stability with "physical function and energy" and "emotional well-being."Conclusion: The Dutch ASES questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for the evaluation of shoulder problems and is permissible for implementation into the Dutch health care system.