DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY VALIDATION OF “THE FALLS PREVENTION QUESTIONNAIRE -RWANDA”

Sammanfattning: Abstract Background: Physiotherapists’ knowledge, attitude and practice patterns in falls prevention are studied mainly in middle- and high-income countries. This study aims to develop and validate a questionnaire for studying the attitude, self-reported knowledge and clinical practice of Rwandan physiotherapists in falls prevention of older adults.  Method: In a cross sectional design the content, face and cross-cultural validity was tested on four Swedish experts and four Rwandan physiotherapists. Test-retest was performed with 20 Rwandan physiotherapists and descriptive data was summarized for these physiotherapists. Content validity index (CVI) was calculated per item and scale, and face validity index with face validity index (FVI) per item and scale. Interviews complemented the face validity scorings for cross-cultural validation. Test-retest was analysed with intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC). Results were categorized into individual, behavioural and environmental factors, in line with the Social Cognitive Theory.  Results:  The questionnaire attained a satisfactory degree of content validity with content validity index per item(I-CVI) and scale-level content validity index based on the average method (S-CVI/Ave) of 0.96. Questionnaire had satisfactory face validity with a face validity index per item (I-FVI) and scale-level face validity index based on the average method (S-FVI/Ave) of 0.89. The questionnaire was shown to be pertinent to Rwandan physiotherapists’ context. The test-retest stability of the questionnaire was non-significant. Most physiotherapists emphasized individual rather than environmental or behavioral risk factors for falls and in falls prevention treatment.  Conclusion: The content and face validity as well as cross-culture validity of preliminary questionnaire of falls prevention were acceptable. Further research in this area is essential to complete validation and to improve the reliability of the questionnaire. The study highlights the importance of application of social cognitive theory in studying how physiotherapists consider the complexity of factors contributing to falls.