Development and Validity Assessment of the Nepali Version of International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire- Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

Introduction: Patient-reported outcome measures are essential for the assessment of male lower urinary tract symptoms. No validated Nepali version of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire- Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms was previously available. This study was conducted to translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate the Nepali version of the questionnaire. Methods: The questionnaire was translated into Nepali following International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire translation guidelines. After obtaining ethical clearance (Ref No: 251-082/083), the finalized version was administered to male patients aged ≥18 years presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms at a tertiary care hospital in Nepal over a period of four months. Ethical clearance was obtained. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Test–retest reliability was evaluated in a subset of 20 participants using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Construct validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis. Results: Among 60 men, mean age of participants was 57.0±11.5 years. The Nepali version demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.97) and high test–retest reliability (ICC=0.768; 95% CI: 0.41-0.91; p 0.002). Construct validity was supported by a high Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value (0.894) and significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ²=939.10, p<0.001). Conclusions: The Nepali version of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms is a reliable and valid patient-reported outcome measures for assessing male lower urinary tract symptoms among Nepali-speaking men.