Designing a tool for measuring the awareness of predisposing factors and dimensions of low back pain in operating room personnel and evaluating its psychometric properties

Background: Low back pain is the most common type of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and one of the costliest health problems. This study aimed to design a psychometric tool to measure the operating room personnel’s awareness of predisposing factors and dimensions of low back pain. Methods: This methodological study aimed to design a psychometric tool for assessing the operating room personnel’s awareness of predisposing factors and dimensions of low back pain in. In the first step, the main dimensions and concepts were developed by reviewing the literature and consulting with professors and experts. In the second step, the initial items of the questionnaire were formulated. Finally, the psychometric properties of the questionnaire were determined using face, content and construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Results: In the first phase of the study, the concept of low back pain and its risk factors were determined, and then the initial items of the tool were developed. In the next step, face and content validity of the instrument were determined both qualitatively and quantitatively (content validity ratio=0.91 and content validity index=0.95). Indeed, construct validity was assessed by convergent and divergent validity using chronic pain and general health questionnaires, respectively (correlation coefficient in convergent validity=0.70 and correlation coefficient in divergent validity=-0.37). Finally, the reliability of the instrument was determined using internal consistency (α=0.60) and test-retest reliability (0.77). Conclusion: Considering the design, validity, and reliability of the instrument for measuring the awareness of predisposing factors and dimensions of low back pain in operating room personnel, we suggest that it should be used for evaluation of the awareness and different dimensions of low back pain among the operating room personnel.