Content validity of the Work Rehabilitation Questionnaire-Self-Report Version WORQ-SELF in a subgroup of spinal cord injury patients

Abstract

Mixed methods study design. The Work Rehabilitation Questionnaire-Self-Report Version (WORQ-SELF) is an assessment tool based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) developed to evaluate functioning in different patient populations in vocational rehabilitation (VR) settings. The objective of this study is to establish the content validity of WORQ-SELF in a subgroup of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients in the early post-acute context. Swiss Paraplegic Research and Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Nottwil, Switzerland. Contents of WORQ-SELF were compared with semi-guided interviews with SCI patients in Switzerland, the Comprehensive ICF Core Set for SCI early post-acute, and outcome instruments used in VR and SCI. A frequency analysis was performed. WORQ-SELF represented 46 different ICF categories and of these 37 categories were confirmed by the patient interviews. The Comprehensive ICF Core Set for SCI confirmed 25 categories. Four instruments used in VR and SCI setting were identified. Contents of those instruments confirmed 14 categories of WORQ-SELF. Overall, 26 categories of the WORQ-SELF were confirmed by at least 2 of the 3 sources, 13 categories by 1 source and 7 were not confirmed by any of the sources. The WORQ-SELF proved to have content validity for utility in patients with SCI within the context of VR. WORQ-SELF can be used to assess the functioning and disability of patients in the return to work process.