Translation and Validation of the Evaluation Scale Fugl-Meyer in Italian Language

The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) is a specific instrument for evaluation of post-stroke patients. Introduced for the first time by Axl Fugl-Meyer and collaborators as a standardized assessment for hemiparetic patient and originally published in both English and Swedish. It represented the first quantitative assessment tool for the hemiplegic patient.

The FMA is a valid, reliable, responsive and most widely used standardized clinical scale for evaluation of the degree of sensory and motor impairment of the hemiplegic patient, and is considered to date one of the most used tools worldwide. Extensive research has shown that FMA is easy to use, does not require special equipment and has excellent validity, reliability and responsiveness, which makes this scale particularly suitable for different types of clinical settings around the world.

There are many currently translation and cultural validation studies in several languages (Danish, Norwegian, Spanish, French), but an official version validated in Italian is not available to date.

This study aims to perform and develop a transcultural validation of the FMA both for the upper and lower limbs in Italian, following a methodological approach already validated for the process of translation and cultural adaptation, including formal involvement with the University of Gothenburg, which holds the rights on the original scale.

The process of translation and cultural validation follows a standardized translation protocol, approved by the University of Goteborg which holds the rights on the official version of the scale in Swedish and in English. A phase of forward translation, revision and backward translation and final revision is planned to determine the conceptual, semantic and operational equivalence of the FMA scale.