Portuguese validation of the foot health status Questionnaire in patients with diabetic foot disease.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aims to adapt and validate the Foot Health Status Questionnaire, developed by Bennett et al., in Portuguese patients with diabetic foot. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 143 patients with diabetic foot. A principal component analysis with oblique rotation and a confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling were performed. RESULTS: The Portuguese version of the FHSQ (FHSQ-PT) in patients with diabetic foot remains equal to the original version, although with all factors correlated with each other. All scales presented high internal consistency values (pain ω = 0.884; function ω = 0.890; general foot health ω = 0.910; and footwear ω = 0.702), except for the footwear scale, although with a minimum acceptable coefficient. The FHSQ-PT scales showed good convergent validity and good discriminant validity. The FHSQ-PT scales were also able to discriminate between male and female patients as well as between patients with an active diabetic foot ulcer from those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the validated FHSQ-PT for Portuguese patients with diabetic foot showed good psychometric properties, being a useful, objective, and small instrument that may be used in clinical practice by health professionals without consuming too much time.

Diabetic foot ulcer has been consistently reported to be associated to lower health-related quality of life, impairing the patient's everyday function.Validated comprehensive measures that assess specific dimensions related to foot health in patients with diabetic foot are needed.The Portuguese version of the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ-PT) showed good psychometric properties.FHSQ-PT is a useful short instrument that may be used to measure foot health status in clinical practice by health professionals who provide care to patients with diabetic foot.