Validity and reliability of a Turkish Brief Pain Inventory Short Form when used to evaluate musculoskeletal pain

BACKGROUND: The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) is both a questionnaire and an outcome measure that is used widely in clinical trials to assess pain associated with many conditions. The BPI Short Form has been extensively translated into foreign languages. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of a Turkish Brief Pain Inventory Short Form (BPI-TR) to evaluate musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: In total, 297 patients with musculoskeletal pain participated in the study. Demographic characteristics and brief medical histories were recorded. Pain intensity was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and quality-of-life was assessed using the Short Form 36 (SF-36). Pain was evaluated using the BPI-TR in all patients. Internal consistency and test-retest analysis were used to assess reliability. The internal consistency of the scale items was assessed by calculating Cronbach’s α value, which was expected to be > 0.7. The criterion validity of the BPI-TR was assessed by correlation with VAS scores. RESULTS: Pain intensity, pain interference, and other components of the Turkish version were consistent with validity thereof. Cronbach’s α was 0.84 for pain intensity and 0.89 for pain interference. The extent of BPI-TR and VAS correlation was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The BPI-TR may be used for assessment of musculoskeletal pain.