Validation of the Evaluation Scale Fugl-Meyer in Italian Language

The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) is one of the most used and recommended assessment scales of sensorimotor function in stroke. It was introduced for the first time by Axl Fugl-Meyer and collaborators and originally published in both English and Swedish, representing the first quantitative assessment tool for the hemiplegic patient.

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

There are many currently translation and cultural validation studies of the FMA in several languages (Danish, Norwegian, Spanish, French), but an official version validated in Italian is no available to date.

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

The translated version in Italian is tested by 3 physiotherapists admitted to the neurological department at The Don Carlo Foundation, in order to identify lingual and conceptual inconsistencies that could influence the score, the understanding, the interpretation and the cultural equivalence of the scale.