Development, validation and reliability of work-related low back pain questionnaire for nursing professionals

INTRODUCTION: Multiple risk factors induce work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), resulting in a higher prevalence of work-related low back pain among nurses. This research aimed to develop and establish the validity and reliability of work-related low back pain questionnaire (WRLBPQ) for nursing professionals. METHODS: This study employed a methodology centered on the development, reliability, and validation of a scale. Five experts with a master's degree in the relevant subject and a minimum of 10 years of academic experience participated in the first focal group discussion. Subsequently, thirty-five specialists engaged in the evaluation of content validity for the WRLBP questionnaire. To assess reliability, a sample of 200 staff nurses employed in hospitals was chosen to participate in this questionnaire. RESULTS: The newly developed WRLBPQ tool demonstrates strong scale-level content validity, achieving a score exceeding 0.78 for each item. The kappa values for each item ranged from 0.97 for item quality to 1 for item content, indicating excellent agreement. The universal acceptance of each item was 0.91 for quality and 1 for content. The Pearson correlation coefficient was employed to determine test-retest reliability, yielding a result of rho = 1 for session 1 and rho = 0.82 for session 2. Inter-rater reliability was determined using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), with values of 0.76 for rater A and 0.86 for rater B, alongside a Cronbach alpha of 0.98. CONCLUSION: The WRLBP questionnaire, the first measurement tool among nursing professionals, is a reliable and valid tool for evaluating WRLBP among nursing professionals.