Validity and reliability of the French translation of the Patient-Related Tennis Elbow Evaluation Questionnaire

Background: The lateral elbow tendinopathy is a common injury in tennis players and physical workers. The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) questionnaire was created to measure pain and functional disabilities specifically reported in patient with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). Developed in English, this questionnaire has since then been translated into several languages but not in French. Objectives: The aims of the study were to translate and cross-culturally adapt the PRTEE questionnaire into French and to evaluate the reliability and validity of this new version of the questionnaire (PRTEE-F). Methods: The PRTEE was cross-culturally adapted into French according to the international guidelines. To assess the reliability and validity of the PRTEE-F, 115 participants filled in the PRTEE-F twice, and the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) once. Internal consistency (with Cronbach’s alpha), test-retest reliability (with intra-class correlation (ICC)), convergent and divergent validity (by calculating the Spearman’s correlation coefficients with the DASH and some sub scales of the SF-36, respectively) were assessed. Results: The PRTEE was translated in French without problem. PRTEE-F showed a good test-retest reliability for the overall score (ICC 0.83) and for each items (ICC 0.71-0.9) and a high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.98). The correlation analyses revealed high correlation coefficients between PRTEE-F and DASH (good convergent validity) and, as expected, a low or moderate correlations with the divergent subscales of the SF-36 (discriminant validity). There was no floor or ceiling effect. Conclusions: The PRTEE questionnaire was successfully cross-culturally adapted into French the PRTEE-F is reliable and valid for evaluating the French-speaking patient with lateral elbow tendinopathy.