Comparison of computerized and paper versions of the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC) Index

Abstract

The Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) is commonly used in orthopedic research to assess the effect of a rotator cuff injury. Questions in the WORC are presented in a visual analog scale format, which requires patients to place a pencil mark along a 10-cm line indicating their responses. The purpose of our study was to determine if a computerized version of a visual analog scale requiring patients drag a cursor along a line was comparable to data collected using the standard paper version of the WORC. Administration of the WORC was randomized, with the first version given in the waiting room before the office visit, and the second immediately after the office visit, to ensure the participant's shoulder function had not significantly changed. Thirty-five patients with rotator cuff injury completed the paper and computerized versions of the WORC. There was no significant difference in mean scores for the WORC between the paper (1040.3) and computerized versions (1021.2, P=.488). The intraclass correlation coefficient for the 2 versions was 0.94. Similarly, there were no significant differences in scores between the subset of scores within the WORC (Physical Activity, Work, Sports, Lifestyle, and Emotion, P>.05), and each subset was highly correlated (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.80). There was no significant difference in scores for the WORC index when administered in a computerized format vs a paper format.