Translation and cultural adaptation of the Oxford Shoulder Score to Swedish and validation of a new 7-day recall version in patients with a proximal humerus fracture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2340/17453674.2026.46975Keywords:
Fractures, ShoulderAbstract
Background and purpose: The Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) is a widely applied patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) designed to assess function and pain in individuals with shoulder disorders. We primarily aimed to evaluate a translated and culturally adapted Swedish version of the original OSS and secondarily to evaluate a version with a 7-day recall period, intended for rapidly changing conditions such as the early phase following fractures and surgeries.
Methods: The OSS was translated according to Beaton’s guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation. 246 patients with a nonoperatively treated proximal humerus fracture completed the Swedish OSS and the QuickDASH at 1 week (T1, 7-day recall period), 3 months (T2, 7-day recall period), and 12 months (T3, 4-week recall period).
Results: Convergent validity between OSS and QuickDASH (Spearmans’s rho) was rs −0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] –0.80 to –0.68) at T1, –0.88 (CI –0.91 to –0.84) at T2, and –0.86 (CI –0.90 to –0.81) at T3. Responsiveness for change scores (T2–T1) was –0.77 (CI –0.82 to –0.70) and (T3–T2) –0.80 (CI –0.85 to –0.74). Internal consistency for the respective domains was for pain at T1 0.73 (CI 0.68–0.78), at T2 0.84 (CI 0.80–0.87), at T3 0.87 (CI 0.84–0.89), and for function at T1 0.74 (CI 0.68–0.78), at T2 0.88 (CI 0.86–0.90), at T3 0.91 (CI 0.89–0.92). Intra-rater reliability was ICC = 0.94 (CI 0.90–0.96) between T3 and 2 weeks later.
Conclusion: The Swedish translation of the OSS demonstrated excellent measurement properties. The 7-day recall version demonstrated equivalent good validity, responsiveness, and reliability and seems valuable for monitoring fresh injuries such as proximal humerus fractures.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Per C Lundin, Therése F D Sundh, Lars E Adolfsson, Hanna C Björnsson Hallgren

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